The Embers of a Flame
by himitsu-no-hi
Summary: A tale of The Silver Millennium- the light and the darkness that shaped the senshi of fire; Sailor Mars.
1. Let me tell you a story

The Embers of a Flame ~ prologue  
By Himitsu no Hi  
Present Day Tokyo  
  
"Rei san hurry up, we're nearly there come on!" Yuuichirou's voice was tinged with excitement and anticipation; his black outlined figure stood a little further up the hill from Rei waving manically. The miko sighed,   
"I'm right behind you Yuuichirou, you don't have to yell at me baka."  
Yuuichirou grinned, he was accustomed to Rei's temper by now, and he liked to think of it as an odd show of affection. Rei glanced around as she reached the peak of the small hill Yuuichirou had insisted on dragging her up, she had to admit the sight was breath taking. She smiled as the whole of Tokyo glimmered before her. A gentle hand tugged impatiently at her arm and she turned to face him giving her best-exasperated expression. His familiar floppy brown hair hung over his blue eyes and his face held an impish grin as he turned his attention to an object nearby. Following his gaze Rei let out an impatient groan,  
"A telescope? You brought me all the way out here for a...!"  
He nodded emphatically; skilfully ignoring the raven-haired beauty's tirade "This is the best stargazing place in Tokyo,"  
"But Yuuichirou, you know I'm not really..."  
"I know, but tonight is special" he grinned, "Its the time of the year when Mars is clearest in the sky"  
Her breath caught in her throat, she looked at him with wide eyes trying to hold back the frantic fear that somehow he knew, her penetrating gaze studied him carefully for any sign that the secret had been revealed...  
"You're angry at me Rei san?" he asked with his sheepish grin fading slightly  
"No baka!" Rei recovered swatting him playfully on the back, "Just surprised"   
He rubbed his shoulder in mock pain before turning and peering into the telescope. After a moment he moved back and motioning for Rei to look through. She glanced at the telescope uncertainly; it had been a long time since she had seen the images, which lay within the lens. She moved slowly towards the telescope passing Yuuichirou a weak smile before she gazed into the darkness. A blurry image came into focus after a few seconds, a small red dot against the blankness of space.... Mars.  
  
Mars. The red planet named after the illustrious roman god of war and passion.  
Mars. Fourth planet in our solar system. Mars. Home. Mars. A distant dream...  
  
**...Let me tell you a story Fire Bird of the Great War and how the Silver Millennium came to exist...**  
  
In time past, there was a period of great upheaval in which, the powerful kingdom of the Sun dominated over the solar system with a heavy handed rule. Its people lived in luxury while those of the other planets squandered in misery, save only for the Kingdom of Earth, whose royal family had married into that of the Sun's generations before. (And so they had been given certain leniency.) The greater the power the Sun kingdom obtained the more corrupt it became, their time was spent unravelling the magic of dark arts and delving into its secrets until at last the people of the Sun were consumed by darkness itself -they named it a golden age, but it was an age of terror, soon to arrive at its end...   
  
When the rule of the Sun was at its highest eight warrior maidens arrived on Earth from its Moon. They had arrived on the Moon, each from a different planet, in order to consult the oracle located there. They claimed to have come in search of the beautiful saving light yet not one of them could explain why they had been drawn to the Moon on that day or why each of them had special abilities unlike anyone else from their planets, all they could say was that they knew it was their destiny to find and protect the light. The wise oracle had told them that the light they searched for would be found on the blue planet Earth and so they had come as suppliants to its King. The Terrain King, so amazed by their words, gladly offered to help them find the maiden of light that they said existed, hidden among his people.   
  
At that time, the King had heard rumours of a beautiful maiden with the gift of healing that lived on the outskirts of the main city. It was said that her hair shone like the moonlight and her eyes were as blue as the oceans - indeed her beauty was surpassed only by her kindness; for all who saw her immediately felt the warmth of her heart. Believing this to be the maiden his guests sought after he called the girl to his palace. On the first meeting between King and Maiden love blossomed in their hearts and they promised to love each other eternally, but it was sadly a romance doomed never to be. For the maiden's name was Serenity, and she was the true light the warriors had been searching for.   
  
Eventually the King and Serenity married and the warrior maidens remained in the palace with them as honoured guests, and all was peaceful on Earth. However, in the second year of their marriage the Kingdom of the Sun sent an unexpected attack out on all planets in the system, the Sunian armies marched out into battle, crushing planets, which stood in their way, including Earth. The gentle King was murdered in his struggle to stop the Sun's invasion and without their king the people of Earth turned on their beautiful Queen and her warriors. Accused of sorcery (For Serenity and her guardians had not aged since the day they first met) and being in league with the Sun's army, they became under constant assault, yet Serenity could not bear to leave the people she and her husband had loved so dearly. Eventually the warrior maidens brought Serenity to the Moon in hopes of helping her to find her power, which according to prophecy could save them all, yet, her main concern was always the people of the blue planet below whom she vigilantly watched over.  
  
Finally on the day that the war was to be decided the King of the Sun trailed by his armies moved towards the Earth. The blue planet had been his greatest nemesis in battle and destroying it would give him immeasurable control; all would belong to him and now was the time for him to take it. Serenity learned of his plans and in her desperation to save her people the queen went to the oracle of the Moon and prayed for guidance. As she sat before the prayer tower of the moon, a single silver tear slid down her cheek, which formed a glowing crystal. Serenity's heart cleared from all negativity had found the light within her and so; taking the shining orb onto the battlefield she used its pure light to vanquish the Kingdom of the Sun, restoring peace to the solar system. Filled with a new energy and strength Serenity spread the healing light out into the solar system and revived each of her warrior's planets. Over time the planets named her their queen and she protected them with her light. Only those of the Earth remained bitter to the now Queen of the Moon, resentful of her power and immortality they refused her reign and forbad contact with the Moon Kingdom and those under its protection. Yet Serenity remained ever watchful of those who had once accepted her as the maiden of light and she made it her duty to always protect those of the blue planet from all harm. This time was known as the Silver Millennium and my tale of the fire princess, begins in this era two generations after the Great War...   
Author's babble:  
  
~Peeks up from her manga~  
Hello!  
And thank you for reading the prologue of my ickle ficcy! ^ . ^  
  
Okay- a little bit about what I'm doing with this story:   
Basically, I wanted to write something about the origins of the Silver Millennium, including how events in that time affected the character of Rei/ Mars in Present Tokyo. So in essence I'm writing about Rei's life in the Silver Millennium but linking it in with a couple of present day events too:)  
  
Any questions comments or criticisms welcome at: himitsu_no_hi@hotmail.com  
Or just review here and I'll get back to you^. ^  
All reviews are much appreciated.  
  
Disclaimer: - I do not own anything at all related to sailor moon-that honour is clearly Naoko Takeuchi's-whose name is on the manga etc not mine -sigh-  
That said and done: I hope you enjoy the story^. ^   
  
H.n.H 


	2. Darkness Falls

The Embers of a Flame - Chapter 1  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
-Silver Millennium-  
  
Night's darkness had fallen on Mars early that evening brought upon the shoulders of a fierce storm. A low rumble of thunder almost shook the ground that the small princess stood upon, but it did little to drown out the noises of a different storm raging in her parent's bedroom,  
"Eris enough!"  
"Ares...No!"  
Their quarrelsome natures had always made the Martian palace a place of disquiet, there was not one day that she could remember, in which the king and queen of Mars did not 'discuss' something, it was always the same.   
"You will not be going and that is the end of it!" The king's voice boomed as lightning stuck outside the window. The little princess clung tightly to the curtain that she stood behind the rain now pounding heavily on the window to her back. She did not understand why mama and papa argued so much, not knowing at her young age that their union been forced upon them and that five years later they still refused to accept or respect each other.   
"Why Ares? It is a planetary alliance, what will they think if Mars refuses the peace? And it's such a special day for..."  
"Silence insolent woman! If you are to try and control my military affairs then I shall rule over your whimsical ambassadorial rubbish."   
"Ares you can not be serious. You know that you cannot simply declare war upon Venus because King Eros looked at you in a certain way. Besides that is no comparison to the importance of this ceremony and celebration."  
"Eris it is exactly the same, I wish to do as I please with what is mine and it would please me to take my armies to Venus."  
"If you start a war, Mars will be destroyed Ares this..."  
"Rubbish! Mars is the best defended planet in the system we are invincible!"  
"You know that I do not mean that...this is a time for peace not..."  
Ares had never been a reasonable man, as stubborn and as volatile as a ram, once an idea was in his mind nothing and no one could deter him from it. It was a sad fate that married he and the queen, it was expected that they would learn to love each other after a time but Eris' passion and fiery spirit refused to be suppressed by Ares' harsh rule and so their frustration and anger built up to a point where both would explode.  
The princess peeked out from behind the curtain; raven hair spilling in front of curious yet frightened violet eyes, which stared across the corridor to the dimly lit room beyond. She shivered as the vocal complaints echoing from the opposite room heightened.   
"The fires are not just mythical folklore Ares! How dare you say such a thing? You know the sacred fires have guided the people of Mars for generations..."  
"You can not tell me that a flame can predict the future better than Queen Setsuna...she promised one thousand years of Glory for our people!"  
"The fires do not lie..."  
"Neither do the senshi"  
"I am a senshi too Ares, or did you forget that!" Eris' voice became quiet momentarily, only to be followed by a slow chain of words in a tone of deep hurt,   
"Oh Kami Sama, its because of her isn't it."  
  
A confused expression spread across the princess' face, 'her?' did her mother mean her? What could she have done to make them argue like this? Maybe it had been the red paint she had spilled over her father's maps... She hid herself back behind the curtain as Ares roared something intangible and stormed from the room. She caught a glimpse of his face in a flash of lightning; it was reddened with anger, his cheeks puffed out as if to dispel his temper. The princess grasped hold of the curtain again, although she was used to his fury (His temper was as famous Eris' throughout the solar system -One of their arguments had once nearly destroyed the outer moon of Jupiter.), she had never before seem him like this. It was the dark look in his grey eyes that was mystifying; a mixture of hurt, guilt and denial-it would be many years before she would completely understood the danger of that look.  
  
  
  
"Rei Hime...Rei Hime..." a gentle voice echoed through the Martian princess' dreams, pulling her softly from her sleep. Soft violet eyes blinked open and glanced upwards as Rei yawned. Eris smiled warmly down at her daughter,   
"This is no place for a princess to be sleeping fire bird, sleep walking again?"  
Rei glanced around at her surroundings, she had fallen asleep behind the curtain in the corridor outside of her parent's bedroom, to tired to make it back to her own room after eves dropping on the 'debate.' Eris looked thoughtfully at the young girl as if considering speaking; she shook the idea away and grinned weakly before scooping Rei up in her arms.  
"Come lets get you dressed, we'll be leaving soon."  
Rei snuggled comfortably in her mother's embrace, in her mind there was no place safer. Eris was a beautiful lady, elegant and dignified in her posture and manor. Her long ebony hair was tied back in an elaborate bun with curled tresses framing her thin face. She wore a simple gown of reds and purples, which matched the hint of lilac in her dark eyes; she was in essence everything that Rei wanted to be.  
"Where are we going mama?"  
"Today is a very special day Rei Hime." Eris began as they moved along the hallway to Rei's bedroom. "It is the 985th anniversary of the great of peace and friendship amongst the planets in the silver millennium. It is tradition that upon such a day we travel to the Moon Kingdom to celebrate our unity with the other planets." She spoke softly, "It is also a very special day for you and the princesses of Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter."  
I blinked and stared at her blankly,  
"What do you mean mama?"  
"Let me tell you a story, Fire Bird of the Great War and how the Silver Millennium came to exist..."  
  
  
Author's Babble:  
  
Hello! ^. ^ I know this chapter is very short but I assure you that they will get longer. This was originally part of the prologue but I decided to split them up-don't ask why, it just seemed like a good idea at the time:)   
I forgot to mention last time that I'm basing this as far as possible on the manga version of things-except of course for including Yuuichirou, I love him to much to miss him out of a Rei based story! :)  
I think that's everything-hum... who am I kidding I'll probably end up re-writing this another billion times before I'm completely happy^. ^  
Well-Hope you are enjoying it so far- more up soon^. ^  
  
Be kind- re view ^. ^ 


	3. To the Moon kingdom

The Embers of a Flame - Chapter 2  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
"And so grandma Harmony was proclaimed Queen of Mars, protectress of the Moon, guarded by this fiery planet,"  
  
"And she married grandpa Cadmus and they lived happily ever after?"  
Rei looked at her mother's reflection in the mirror in front of which they sat. The story of the Great War had been fascinating; it had taken Eris a good deal longer to tell it than she had expected because of her daughters continuous questioning about why the Sun kingdom would do such a horrible thing and if the Queen of the Moon was pretty. Eris smiled, although there was a touch of melancholy in her gaze,  
"Something like that fire bird."   
Rei glanced down at the pretty crimson dress she now wore as Eris stroked the brush once more through her daughter's raven hair,   
"Mama, if grandma Harmony was the queen of Mars and a protectress of the Moon, since you're the queen of Mars now does that make you a protectress of the Moon too?"   
Eris nodded, laying the brush aside she pulled the princess onto her lap,  
"Yes fire bird, as well as watching over Mars, I and the queens of the other planets, are guardians of Queen Serenity. When I was about your age, your grandma took me to visit the Moon during one of the celebrations of peace and on that day I made a promise always to protect the Queen and her Kingdom. A year after that the queen gave birth to a little girl and it became the duty of all of the senshi from Mercury to Jupiter to watch over her. That little girl grew up and became the present day queen of the Moon; but I still care for her, just like I'll always love and protect you."  
Eris lovingly embraced her daughter,  
"Now come, let me look at my angel."  
Rei smiled and slipping from her mother's knee she stood smartly, straitening out her dress she twirled for inspection before curtseying gracefully.  
"Beautiful!" Eris laughed softly at her daughter's antics. Rei grinned and ran back to her mother, wrapping her arms over her knees,  
"Mama, are you taking me to the Moon today so that I can promise to protect the Queen too?" hopeful purple orbs gazed upwards excitedly, Eris nodded,  
"Lets go shall we? We don't want to be late for the ceremony."  
Rei jumped up; taking hold of Eris' hand she began pulling the queen from the room. Laughter and excitement rang through the corridor as mother and daughter headed to the teleportation room.  
  
Rei broke free from her mother's hand and ran ahead of her along the hallway. She felt so proud that she would be able to protect the special light of the Moon, which had saved everyone in the Great War and that she would also get to be a sailor senshi just like mama that she was about ready to burst. The excited princess came to a stop outside of her father's study, desperate to tell someone else her good news, she peered inside. The King sat slumped at his desk gazing at various maps and reports, a solemn expression spread over his stern face.   
"Papa!" Rei cried moving into the dimly lit room, "I'm going to be a senshi just like mama! And I..."   
Rei's news came to an abrupt stop as Ares fixed his sharp gaze on his daughter, his cold grey eyes almost freezing her to the spot. Slowly he stood from his seat and moved around the large oak desk towards her. Rei smiled weakly, a little unsure as Ares knelt down before her. Roughly he took her small face into his hand, strong fingers curled tightly around her delicate chin, she whimpered quietly at the sudden use of force.  
"Look at me," he began in a harsh tone barely above a whisper, her eyes slowly glanced up to face him,  
"You're just like her aren't you? Insolent fire brat...you think that you're so much better than everyone else because of your powers but we'll see," the pressure of his grasp on Rei increased as his face moved closer to hers, the faint smell of alcohol laced his breath. Rei's small body shook with fear, why was papa so angry? She hadn't done anything wrong, why was he hurting her?  
  
"Rei hime? Where did you get to fire bird?" Eris called lightly from the hallway.   
Ares glanced towards the door,  
"Get out of my sight." he spat, forcefully pushing Rei backwards, almost knocking her over. He stood up as Eris walked into the room. The queen stopped abruptly as she took in the scene, a mixture of concern and anger crossed her features as Rei backed up towards her. A deathly silence hung in the air as King and Queen glared icily at one another,  
"You are a cruel man Ares," Eris hissed, her lilac eyes narrowed in anger,  
"But you will not hurt her, kami help me you will not."  
Eris took hold of Rei's shoulder and ushered her out of the room, slamming the door behind them. A loud crash echoed from within the study as Eris took her daughter's hand and pulled her away from that room.   
  
They came to a stop outside a large ruby entranceway, guarded over by two armed soldiers. Eris nodded silently at them as they parted to let the queen and princess pass. The doors opened effortlessly as Eris led Rei inside. Once behind the safety of closed doors Eris slid down to her knees her pretence of strength and confidence dissolved, unshed tears glistened in her eyes as her hands gently caressed her daughters cheeks,  
"Are you okay Sweet heart-" Rei nodded, expressionless, still slightly stunned from her experience,  
"You're okay, you're okay," Eris muttered gently reassuring as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.   
"Mama, why is papa so angry?" Rei's asked in a small voice. Eris pulled back slowly; she seemed almost shocked at the sudden question, but Rei's wide eyes remained focused on hers,  
"Pay it no heed Rei Hime, he is but a bitter man full of regrets and jealousies." Her voice had been strong and unwavering as she answered, but the worry in her eyes was proof enough of the pain in her heart. Slow Eris stood and moved towards another door towards the left of the room. Rei gazed around in awe as she took in her surroundings for the first time. The circular room was bordered on all sides by various entranceways, ten in all, including the one she and her mother had just come in through. Eris turned to see her daughter's wonderment and smiled weakly,  
"Rei hime, this is a very special place, called a teleportation room, it allows us to travel very quickly from Mars to any of the planets in the solar system, we can also use the grey door there to travel to Harmonia."  
Rei nodded in comprehension of her mother's explanation,  
"So this is how Yuuichirou comes to visit?"  
Eris grinned and nodded,  
"Yes, Lord and Lady Thebes bring Yuuichirou through here when they visit, but today, we get to go through this door." Eris pointed to a beautiful ivory marble door, supported by columns at either side with a large crescent Moon decorating the pediment.  
"To the Moon Kingdom..."   
  
  
A loud trumpeting sounded as Eris and Rei stepped through the grand doors into the Moon kingdom. In an instant all worries and confusion drifted away from Rei's thoughts as she took in the magnificence of the Moon realm. The shimmering palace stood before them, set in complete harmony with its surroundings it seemed to shine with a light of its own. Awe struck Rei gazed around at the lush gardens, silver ponds and beautiful architecture as her mother gently tugged her forwards.  
"Announcing the arrival of her Royal Highness and Honoured warrior of Mars, Queen Eris and her daughter Princess Rei." A voice of silk called from grand marble doors of the palace.   
A beautiful lady dressed in yellow stepped forward to welcome them, her pale skin contrasted by her ebony locks which were tied up in an odd bun shape upon her head reminded Rei somewhat of a cats ears,  
"Your highness" she greeted bowing respectfully,  
"It is good to see you again Luna, I trust you are well."  
The lady nodded smiling brightly,  
"Yourself and the others have been missed greatly Eris. Come the Queen wishes to speak with you immediately," Eris nodded and followed Luna inside as Rei trailed quietly behind. The entrance hall of the palace was just as impressive as the exterior, beautiful marble sculptures decorated the bright room, indeed everything around them seemed to be made of marble or silver.  
"Everyone is preparing in the grand hall," Luna continued, she glanced down to Rei before adding, "I'm sure the princess would enjoy exploring the grounds while everything is being finalised..."  
Rei frowned slightly at been so subtly told to loose herself while the old friends reunited. She crossed her arms and pouting angrily, looked up at Eris. The queen returned her daughter's glare with a 'do as you're told' expression; huffing silently to herself Rei curtsied to the lady her mother called Luna,  
"A pleasure meeting you Luna, if you will excuse me I wish to explore the palace grounds before the ceremony begins."  
Luna looked at the fire princess blankly for a moment before her face cracked into a smile and she stifled a giggle,  
"Oh Eris she sounds just like you!"  
Eris grinned and bent down to face her daughter,  
"Thank you fire bird, I'll come get you when its time."  
  
Rei smiled wryly, now even more infuriated by the fact Luna found her so amusing she turned and marched off down the nearest corridor.   
'Unbelievable!' she thought as she stomped loudly down the marble hallway, 'I'm a princess, soon to be guardian of the Moon and I'm simply abandoned in this, this place!'  
Glancing around as if to emphasis the point of her tirade, Rei soon realised that she was lost. She stamped her foot noisily on the floor and then sighed dejectedly. Rei walked a little more slowly down the remainder of the hallway consoling herself with the idea that the princesses of Venus, Mercury and Jupiter must also have been left to wander around while their mothers 'prepared.' She stopped as she reached a colonnaded walkway, which led out onto a beautiful rose garden and gazed out into the sun lit paradise,  
"Maybe I can find the other princesses out here, it'd be better than wandering around by myself' she mumbled. A gentle breeze swept through her hair as she walked quietly through the gardens, a sense of tranquillity seemed to wrap itself around her as she moved ridding her completely of her sour mood, until she found that she was quite enjoying herself. Rei stopped for a moment as an odd looking flower caught her eye; shaped like a rose its petals shimmered with a silvery haze that seemed to reflect all possible colours of the rainbow. Her hand gently reached out to touch it,  
  
"Pretty aren't they?"  
Rei's hand jerked backwards as the voice sounded behind her. She turned to see who had disturbed her, only to be encased in a mass of orange dress and blonde hair. Muffled screams and giggling echoed through the gardens as Rei desperately tried to break free from the exuberant blonde embrace. Finally her attacker relented. Rei remained sprawled out on the ground eyes jammed shut. Slowly she opened one eye and glanced up to see a girl of her age with long blonde hair tied back with an orange red ribbon chuckling gleefully. Rei glared angrily back at her,  
"Baka! Are you trying to kill me?!" she cried moving away from the hyperactive bundle,  
"Don't be so upset! I was only saying hello" the girl grinned, "You must be Princess Rei from Mars" she continued, moving so that her face was inches from Rei's, her bright blue eyes staring expectantly into the angry and confused violet eyes of the fire princess.  
"What do you think you're doing?" Rei managed to mutter after the few moments it took for her to regain her composure. The girl stood back and curtsied clumsily   
"I am Princess Minako of Venus, it is a pleasure to make your appointment."   
Rei simply stared back at her blinking occasionally-she was a princess this ball of hyperactive blonde bounciness was a princess? Rei suddenly wished that her mother had warned her about princesses from other planets. The girl's face crumpled up into a confused expression,  
"What? Did I say something wrong? -Wait I said ahum and ... pleased to make your-oh! Acquaintance!" She grinned again and pulled Rei to her feet.  
"I've been looking the princesses for ages, I'm so glad I found you! Mommy is always going on about Mars and how beautiful it is and how lovely Queen Eris is and how well they get along, isn't it lucky we got to meet before the ceremony!"  
"Yeah, great" Rei muttered trying to un-wedge herself from the vice like grip the Venusian princess had on her arm, with that idea clearly failing Rei gave in and submitted to the torture. The blonde princess, seemingly oblivious to her companion's discomfort grinned again and began dragging her back towards the palace,  
"Where are we going?" Rei cried exasperated. Minako smiled and winked knowingly,  
"There is something I want to show you. Some place I think you'll like, I found it when I was exploring the palace before I found you."  
Minako pulled Rei around countless corners and through various identical marble corridors until they came to a stop before a large and elaborately carved wooden door.  
"In there?" Rei asked, curiosity now taking over annoyance. She nodded happily her blue eyes looking more excited than before (if that is possible). The raven-haired princess reached forward slowly pushing on the handle until the doors clicked open. A blast of gentle heat swam out to meet them as the Venusian and Martian princesses peaked through the door. Inside a towering fire flickered giving the room a hazy glow, shadows danced along gold and ruby walls, the crackle of the wood echoing around the otherwise silent and mystically serene room.  
"Mommy told me that each of the planets has a special room of dedication on the Moon, the plaque over there said that this one belongs to Mars." Minako said barely above a whisper. Rei gazed in awe at the splendour of this Martian shrine. Quietly she moved over to the far wall, which was decorated with ancient scrolls, glancing at the first section she recognised it immediately,  
"The story of the Great War and how the Silver Millennium came to be..."  
Minako remained in a reflective silence behind her as Rei began reading as best as she could the beginning of the story word for word as Eris had told it to her earlier that day.   
  
"Minako! Minako!"  
Minako and Rei both turned to face the door as the sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the corridor outside and the gentle voice disturbed the retelling of the tale,  
"That's my mommy, it must be time for the ceremony!" Minako cried excitedly, taking a firm hold of Rei's arm once again as she began tugging her out of the fire room. Rei suddenly pulled back on her arm causing her to stop; Minako looked at her with confused eyes,  
"Thank you Minako Hime." Rei smiled. Her face burst into a smile once again,  
"Your welcome Rei chan," she called pulling her new friend into another hug.  
  
  
"Oh Eris! See I told you, I told you they'd be friends, see just like we are. How cute! Oh my Rei how you've grown, you look just like your mother, Eris you must be so proud!" a voice like the sound of gentle bells cried out, seconds before Rei was once again smothered by a haze of orange and blonde. Finally released she moved quickly backwards to avoid another attack, only to look up and see the smiling face of her mother,  
"You wont remember your Aunt will you fire bird? This is the Queen of Venus..."  
"Oh hush Eris! So formal! Always the same you Martians-just call me Aunt Aphrodite, Rei chan!" the exuberant Queen interrupted. Eris glanced at her, and suddenly elbowed the un-expecting blonde in the side, who then retaliated by blowing a raspberry in her direction.   
Minako flounced over and curtsied once again (a little better this time), and introduced herself to the Martian queen,  
"Lovely to see you again Minako Hime, you've grown into quite the beautiful young lady." Eris nodded with a smile, a slight twinkle in her eyes, it was clear that all of the unhappiness that had clouded over her before had vanished.  
"Mommy is it time for the ceremony now?" Minako asked almost jumping up and down, Aphrodite glanced to Eris, who nodded,  
"It certainly is, are you both ready?"  
Rei and Minako nodded excitedly, (Minako's happiness perhaps contagious). The queens smiled and ushering Minako and Rei in front the quartet set off to the grand hall for the ceremony.  
"Minako?"  
"Yes Rei chan?"  
"What exactly is the ceremony?"  
  
  
Story Notes:  
  
Harmonia: I know that in modern times Mars has two moons, but in my version of the Silver Millennium, it only has one which is called Harmonia after Rei's grandmother Harmony - the reason for this will be revealed later on^. -  
  
Japanese words used and their meanings:  
Baka: idiot  
Hime: princess.  
  
Authors Notes:  
  
That chapter was a pain to write^. ^ I'm not too great at thinking like a 5year old... the next chapters will be even harder - so they'll take a bit longer for me to get out too. I've only read over this once too, so if there are loads of mistakes I apologise!  
Oh well, I hope you're enjoying it so far!!  
  
Many thanks to those who have reviewed; it's very much appreciated.   
Don't worry Supremia, even if no one reviewed I'd keep writing:) -it only takes one after all to make or break a persons day!  
  
See ya soon!  
  
H.n.H 


	4. A day to celebrate

The Embers of a Flame ~ Chapter 3  
By Himitsu No Hi  
  
  
The grand hall was one of the most amazing places Rei had ever seen (and she had seen quite a few today). Although the ceremony hall on Mars was grand and beautiful it lacked the radiance and magnificence of the lunarian equivalent. The walls were decked in a likewise manner to the rest of the palace, along with extra ribbons, balloons, garlands, draping fabrics and banners in the typical royal colours of the moon, silver and lilac.   
Rei glanced to Minako as the two princesses entered the room; the blonde seemed just as enthralled by it all as she was. Rei smiled as Minako gasped in awe at the throne, which stood at the head of the hall.  
"Its all so beautiful..."she cooed.   
A man dressed in orange and blue walked excitedly towards Aphrodite and Minako, casting a warm smile in Rei's direction he wrapped an arm around the Venusian Queen's waist and kissed her softly on the cheek,  
"Serenity will be coming in a minute, we should get to our places." He nodded politely to Eris as he pulled Aphrodite and Minako away with him.  
"Eros is right Rei hime, we should get ready," Eris whispered moving Rei forwards. It was then that the Martian princess noticed for the first time the other occupants of the hall. A man and woman in colours of green and pink stood proudly behind a tall brunette who was glancing about excitedly, to the left of them stood another family this time dressed in blue, Rei supposed that these were the Royals of Jupiter and Mercury respectively. As Rei looked over to the Venusian family who now stood to her right, an uneasy thought struck. Rei turned to look at her mother for a moment as if verifying what she had already known,  
"Papa didn't want us to come did he mama?"  
A slight look of dejection crossed her features as she spoke. Eris' looked down upon her daughter, a mixture of pity and empathy in her eyes. Why had she been forced to marry such an arrogant and selfish fool? It had caused so much pain and trouble then and it still was even now...  
The Martian queen pressed her hand gently on Rei's shoulder, forcing a smile  
"Don't frown fire bird, this is a day to celebrate, suppress your unhappy thoughts and enjoy this special moment, never let your father stand in your way of happiness."  
Rei bit her lip and turned back to face the Venus family. Papa had been so mad at her, could he really hate her and mama so much?  
Rei took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders and pushed the image of her father's angry face from her mind, mama was right this was a special day for her, no one could ever change that.  
Rei's gaze moved to her feet, as glowing mark on the floor took her by surprise. She moved backwards a little as she took in the peculiar pattern carved onto the marbled ground. A ring of nine concentric circles spiralled out from an image of a crescent moon. Within the first four circles small symbols were engraved in silver, Rei recognised the one in front of her as being the emblem of Mars. In the outer three circles there were another three symbols, which glowed in the colours of yellow, navy blue and forest green. The forth circle was occupied by an unlit mark embossed in a dark violet. Concentrating on each one in turn Rei realised that they were the same symbols she had seen earlier in the Martian teleportation room, the emblems of the planets in the Silver Millennium alliance. Rei looked up and noted that the other three families stood in front of the remaining small silver symbols. Perhaps...   
A loud trumpeting brought Rei from her thoughts as the woman dressed in yellow whom she had met earlier that afternoon appeared in the doorway, she was accompanied this time by a man dressed in white, whose long silver hair slid elegantly down his back. As they moved from the entranceway the gentle voice, which had announced her arrival on the Moon spoke once more,  
"Her royal highness, crowned royal majesty of the Moon and Guardian of the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity."  
A lady too beautiful for words stepped gracefully into the grand hall, eyes of gentle lilac glanced around the room as all those before her bowed and curtseyed. She smiled warmly as all rose once more and extending her arms to them she spoke,  
"Let the ceremony begin."  
  
  
"Eight hundred and ninety five years ago, a great war took place in our solar system, begun by the evil which had infested our sun. At that time nine maidens were called upon to fight against that evil and protect a light, which would save them all. Today even in a time of peace, we still must protect that which is dear to us, you four, descendants of those nine warriors are now called upon to protect what your ancestors fought so hard to achieve."  
The Moon queen stood before those gathered, a royal sceptre held in her hand as she gazed at each of the new generation of warriors,  
"I ask you now to swear a sacred oath that with the power bestowed on you at birth you will give yourselves heart body, mind and soul to the duty of protecting our alliance, our love, our hope and most importantly our new light."  
Her free hand slid idly to her stomach as a smile flickered across her face.   
  
Rei's expression became one of determination, she felt drawn to the warmth and light of the moon's queen as if an invisible bond had begun to form between herself and the light, it was an odd sensation but one which filled her with hope and faith, it was an almost immediate decision, she had already made a vow to herself to protect the light like her mother but she understood at that moment how special a day this truly was; it was the day in which her life would change forever, when she would be eternally bound to a power that filled her with love and happiness.  
  
"If you feel within your hearts that this is your true destiny, move together into the circle of light..." The queen's voice barley registered as Rei moved forwards onto the emblem of Mars carved on the floor, as if pulled towards it. She did not feel the presence of the other three princesses who joined her in their own circles simultaneously, but reached out her hands towards them automatically.  
"Inner senshi of the third generation awaken!"   
As the queen's sceptre rose into the air an almost blinding light sprung forth encasing the four princesses in a cocoon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Mars..."  
"Princess Mars..."  
  
Rei's eyes flickered open.   
She found herself alone in the silence, surrounded by a gentle warm light. She glanced around as the voice spoke again,  
"Princess, it is once again a time of change for the sailor senshi..."  
"Who are you? Where..."Rei began before a slight movement within the light caught her eye. The movement increased until the outline of a small figure could be made out. As it came closer Rei gasped to find herself face to face with, herself.  
"Your...me?" Rei uttered.  
"I am a part of you yes, I am your sailor power guardian and will be with you always."  
Rei stared in wonder at the power guardian, dressed in the typical senshi fuku, white bodice, short red skirt and a sailor collar,  
"Sailor princess Mars, you have opened your heart to the light of the silver Imperium crystal and have bound yourself to its power. You have promised to always protect Serenity and all that she holds dear with the power of your mother star Phobos Deimos castle, so that peace and prosperity may rule our solar system."  
Rei nodded, "I live to protect the light."  
The sailor guardian smiled and held out her palm, on which was a shiny ruby pen shaped object,  
"Then here is your Mars pen, with this you can call upon the powers of your planet and your mother star, you are the soldier of fire, a guardian goddess of Serenity, Sailor Mars."  
Rei took hold of the red pen, gazing at it for a moment as she took in the words of her guardian, then raising it above her head she called out for the first time,  
"MARS STAR POWER MAKE UP!"  
  
The sensation of flames coursing through her body in her heart, her mind, her arms, legs, her veins, filling her with the power of their light and energy.  
  
As Sailor Mars' eyes opened once again to view the light, she found the other three princess senshi by her side. Joining hands they nodded to each other in a silent vow,  
"Sailor Planet Power!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In a flash of light the princesses found themselves back once again in the Grand Hall. Rei glanced down at her new attire, she was dressed as her sailor guardian had been, a fuku of reds and purples, looking up towards the others she saw they too had transformed into uniforms much like hers but in the colours of their planets respectively. Sailor Venus grinned happily at her as they turned once more to face the Queen of the Moon  
"Soon a new light will be born into the moon kingdom, at that time you will be called together once more so that you can fulfil your promise. May you all grow together in love and friendship, always to be guided by the light."  
  
The four inner symbols on the floor pattern glowed distinctly in colours of blue, green, gold and red...  
  
  
  
In a distant land, far in the recesses of vast space, three others watched the awakening of the next generation of Sailor Senshi,  
"It is time now Enyo..."  
"Revenge is ripe for the picking, things shall be done as it is written..."  
"Return to your true home, dear child, destroy that which holds the light so closely,"  
"That which banished you here..."  
"Deino, Pemphiedo, without you I would not be strong enough to destroy those who tried so to destroy me... the royal family of Mars will pay for our suffering, I can sense my dear brother's unhappiness and anger, married to that fire witch...it fills me with power - Victory friends will be ours..."  
  
  
  
  
Story Notes:  
I think there was only one Japanese word I've not used before-  
Fuku: it's basically the name given to the sailor senshi (soldier/scout) uniform.  
I think I'll give an explanation at the end about all of the mythology I've used, if anyone wants it.  
^_^-Any other questions just ask...  
  
Authors babble:  
I apologise for taking so long to get this part out-serious lack of motivation a touch of writers block and the inability to write anything fluently being the cause. I'm sorry if my style has gone a bit 'static' - I'm finding it more difficult than I thought to write these early chapters!  
  
Anyway: -thanks again to those who have reviewed, you're all wonderful!:)  
Btw, I can send you an e-mail to let you know when I up-date if you'd like, just let me know in the review! (And leave me you're e-mail address)  
  
Hope you're still enjoying the story!!  
See ya next time!  
  
H.n.H 


	5. Believe in the light Firebird

The Embers of a Flame ~ Chapter 4  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
  
After their return to Mars things had progressively begun to darken.  
  
Eris and Ares had spent the following weeks arguing constantly, until finally Ares' lost control and allowed his fists to say what his shouting could not. The beatings she endured however seemed only to make the queen more ferocious - and she eventually had the final say, managing to bring the west wing of the palace down upon herself and Ares. Whether a tactic of temperament or desperation, the king and queen of Mars did not fight again for some time afterwards. Ares hid himself away in his study, refusing to even look at his wife; he turned to drink and spent most of his time planning strategies of war. Eris however, withdrew into herself. The fiery spirit she was renowned for dissipated, as if she had accepted that her constant battle for freedom against Ares had been lost, her time was dedicated to the sacred flames, sometimes she would stay locked in the temples for days on end, refusing any contact with life outside of the fire's gentle glow.  
And so Rei watched silently alone as her family crumbled around her.  
  
  
  
Nine Months Later...  
  
' Rei chan!!!  
  
It hass ben a while since I last herd from you, I hope Fings are ok. I herd my mommy talking to my daddy about Mars, they sed ther is a dark clowd swinging intwo the place. That dose not sound like very nice wether so I'm writing to cheer you up!  
Gess what! Ther is going to b a partie here tommorroow; I wish you and the othere princesses culd come, its so nice to have three bestest friends...mommy said the moon baby will arrive soon, so then we'll have for bestest feinds and we all live on the moon place together! We can have sleepovers every nite:)  
Speek to you soon!  
Big hugs  
  
Love Minako  
Xxx  
  
Ps) I want to no more about the boy who vists you from harmonica-do you fink you'll get married? '  
  
  
Rei sat outside in the lush palace gardens reading the letter she had received from Minako that morning, all of the princesses had agreed to keep in touch after their senshi awakening and Rei liked to hear from her new friends; their news helped to take her away from Mars, from the 'dark clowd' Minako suggested hung over the palace.   
The Martian princess scowled as she read the last line of Minako's letter,  
"There is no way I'm getting married..."  
"To who?"  
Rei jumped as a familiar voice spoke behind her,  
"Oh hi Yuuichirou, I didn't know you were coming down today." she smiled pushing the letter from view and standing up to greet her friend. Yuuichirou grinned and took Rei's hand kissing it gently,  
"I would visit thee everyday if the planets would allow it milady."   
Rei stuck her tongue out and swatted him playfully across the cheek,  
"Quit trying to copy the Venusian knights Yuuichirou," she muttered. His floppy brown hair hung over his blue eyes, which looked suddenly, upset.   
"Yeah, well I will be a knight one day and I'll protect Mars from Harmonia just like my dad"  
"Yes, but you will be a Martian knight-remember that!" Rei poked her finger into his chest and then took off in a fit of giggles,  
"Come on sir knight, I'm a commander from the Sunian Armies come to attack Mars, catch me if you dare!"  
Yuuichirou glanced up to see a bundle of red dress and raven-hair tumble down a nearby slope, he burst out laughing as the Martian princess picked herself up from the ground and sticking her tongue out ran off into the palace.  
"Hey Rei-hime wait up!" he called, grinning. A smile was still stuck to his face as he reached the palace, tiptoeing around corners and through hallways after 'the enemy' He caught a glimpse of red and sped up along the corridor,  
"I've got you now sunain scum!" he called as he spun around a corner. He blinked, the hallway was empty...  
  
Rei gently closed the large oak door, pressing her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. She glanced around to find to her dismay that she had snuck into her father's study. Luckily he hadn't seen her; in fact he wasn't even sitting in his chair. The little princess was just about to hurry out when she heard the quiet sound of a wispy voice echoing from the far side of the room.   
Ares' study comprised of two main rooms, one, which contained his large oak desk, was littered with official royal business, papers and files besieged the floor while paintings of previous kings secured the walls. In the far room however, divided from the other by a thick red curtain, Ares had ordered a large strategy table and chart to be built and installed, here he made out his battle plans, pretending to sink the ships of his enemies or blow up the homes of those who opposed his will; it was in this room that he stood now, talking to someone unknown. Rei crept silently towards the curtain, barely allowing herself to breath. As she neared the red fabric, the voices became clearer,  
"Look at what they have done to you Ares, dear, sweet brother... In your own palace you are hidden away confined like some common prisoner to these four walls. You are the King! The god of Mars! Your fierce spirit should not be contained..."  
"...Yes"  
"It was all her fault, Harmony arranged this, she destroyed all of our lives Ares. I was an embarrassment, thrown from my own home into the wilds of a dark planet, but I survived... you are too powerful, too great a leader and so now you too are hidden away by her child...but you can survive dear brother...together...we can bring her down..."  
Rei could hardly believe what she was hearing. Small fingers carefully inched back the curtain, Rei's heart pounded as she peered into the room. Ares stood with his back to the curtain, slumped over a black leather chair. A thin woman dressed in velvet black rags hung her arms around his neck; scraggily grey hair slithered down her back.   
"Together Ares, we can have it all!"  
"Yes Enyo, sister dearest, we will des..."  
Enyo hushed her brother softly,  
"We have company" she mused turning around to face Rei. The Martian princess gasped at the horrid features of the woman who now met her gaze, her mouth was open in a toothless smile (well she had one tooth) and her eye sockets were dark and hollow save for the single eye ball which rolled from one side of her face to the other. Rei's immediate instinct to run was futile, her feet refused to move as her eyes stared wide with terror at the woman who was planning to take her revenge on Mars,  
"A little fire bird, came sneaking where it shouldn't have..."Enyo cooed brushing a bony withered hand over Rei's hair. Rei pleaded with her eyes for her father's help, but instead he rose slowly from his seat, blank stone cold eyes glaring at his daughter as he moved. Roughly he took Rei by her hair, pushing her small form against the wall,  
"Do you know what happens to people who are caught spying fire brat?" he growled at her. She shook her head, tears already slipping down her cheeks,  
"I kill them...painfully..."  
Rei whimpered as Ares released his grip on her,  
"Think carefully before you repeat what was said today-you saw nothing, you heard nothing...now go-!!" he roared.  
Rei did not wait for Ares to change his mind, scrambling out of the study she did not stop running until she reached a secluded part of the woods just past the palace gardens, a place she always felt safe.  
  
Yuuichirou was heading towards the kitchens to search for the Martian princess, when he saw a red blur bolt across the front lawns,  
"Rei sama?" he muttered, doing an about turn he hurried after her, back outside.  
The young lord peered into the final flower patch and sighed, he'd searched the entire gardens and still couldn't find Rei. As he glanced around trying to think of where she may have hidden herself his eyes caught sight of the Sacred Mars Shrine. He had often stopped to stare at the huge building when he and Rei were playing in the gardens, taken aback by its size and majesty. Rei had told him once, in vivid detail about a fire reading the queen had preformed claiming that one day she would be able to do fire readings too, it sounded beautiful-perhaps she was hiding in there...  
Quietly Yuuichirou snuck up the temple steps, being careful not to trip up, he tiptoed around the outside of the building. The gentle sounds of crackling flames echoed from within, he was almost tempted to peer inside but knew that he could get in trouble for interrupting the queen if she was in there. As he continued around to the back of the shrine he called out softly for Rei, glancing in all directions in hope of finding the raven-haired princess.  
"Lord Yuuichirou..."  
The young boy jumped as the stern voice broke his silent search; he turned to see a concerned looking Eris. The Martian queen dressed in light purple material appeared tired and worn,  
"Have you an idea where Princess Rei may be?"  
The young lord shook his head,  
"No your majesty, we were playing a game and I lost her... is something wrong?" Yuuichirou gulped, it was unusual to see Eris this way-did she know something about Rei? He would never forgive himself if something had happened to her because of him...  
Eris looked out into the woods beyond the temple before turning a distant gaze back to Yuuichirou,  
"Come, I believe fire bird needs our help..."  
With that the queen took off into the thick of the woods, Yuuichirou followed behind her as quickly as possible but although the branches which snagged at their clothes and hair did little to bother the queen, they slowed down the young lord's progress somewhat.  
  
"Fire bird" Eris called, coming to a stop; the following silence in the forest was broken by the sound of gentle sobs. Yuuichirou finally caught up with Eris, gasping for breath he peered beyond the queen to a sight that almost broke his heart. Rei sat curled up into a tiny ball her silken hair was matted to her flushed face, covered in dirt and twigs, tears streamed down her cheeks as she shook with apparent fear. As Eris moved forward to comfort her daughter Yuuichirou swore a solemn oath that he would do all in his power to protect Rei as long as he lived, so that she would never have need to cry again.  
Rei crawled into her mother's embrace, the warmth and familiarity of unconditional love enveloping her as she tried to shut out what she had just experienced. Her mind a whirlwind of thoughts and fears quietened as Eris slowly rocked her in her arms,  
"Shush fire bird, its alright, shush, I know, I know, everything is okay." Eris soothed,  
"Rei hime, there are some people in this world, in this galaxy even whose soul is full of darkness, these people will try to trick you and hurt you and make you cry and if you let them see your fear, or a single tear fall from your eyes then the darkness in them can grow and attack, you must always stay strong for those you love and for yourself so that you can defeat the dark and evil souls. If you believe in the light fire bird, if you do not fear the dark, you will be happy and safe..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ares carelessly cleared his strategy table with a swift wave of his arm, slamming his fists onto the hard surface,  
"How Enyo! How did I let myself become so weak! Spied on by an insignificant brat! A planet ruled by that woman will sink into nothingness I refuse to be ruled by her! Mars should be stronger than that!" He yelled, cheeks red with anger. Spinning around to face his sister his eyes burned with rage,  
"How do we destroy her once and for all?"   
Enyo's eyes narrowed as a devilish grin spread across her face. Her withered hand stretched out, caressing Ares' face,  
"Soon brother, soon there will be nothing but darkness..."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
That evening as Eris sat by her daughter's bedside, humming softly to lull the princess into healing sleep a gentle tapping sounded at the door. Eris rose from her seat, kissing Rei lovingly on the forehead before she slipped out of the room. A maid curtseyed before the queen,  
"Sorry to disturb you your highness but news has arrived from the Moon Kingdom- Her majesty Queen Serenity has gone into labour, the new child of the moon is expected shortly."  
  
  
  
Author's babble:  
  
Um I can't think of anything to say really...  
  
^ _ ^  
  
H.n.H 


	6. What kind of princess?

The Embers of a Flame ~ Chapter 5  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
  
It was a cold morning on Mars as Rei hurried up the Sacred Shrine steps. Pausing for a second to regain her breath she glanced up at the towering oak doors of the fire temple, the gentle glow which seeped through the small nooks and crannies reminded her of her grandmother's special room on the Moon; now the Moon princess had been born she may be able to visit the room once more, perhaps when she eventually went to live in the Lunarian palace her mother would teacher her to read the fires and she could practice by Harmony's scared flames until she could perform the ritual perfectly.   
That thought brought a smile to her face as she reached up, quietly easing open the doors. Gazing inside her violet eyes rested upon the welcome sight of her mother,  
"Mama, I just heard the news about the baby, isn't it great? The maid told me you were here-are we leaving for the Moon kingdom now?"  
  
Eris turned slowly, exhaustion apparent in her features, although she had always considered fire reading a gift, continuous efforts could swiftly drain away all of a person's energy. The queen motioned for Rei to come and sit by her. The princess walked cautiously into the holy place, not daring to make a noise as she came to sit by her mother. Eris smiled at Rei, brushing a hand gently through the young senshi's raven locks,  
"We will be leaving soon, but first there is something important I must tell you about..."  
Eris' gaze turned to the flames, her weary face seemed to glow with life and vivacity as the light danced in her eyes,   
"Fire bird, since you were old enough to walk I have been bringing you to the sacred fires, do you know why?" She continued in a serious tone, Rei shook her head in the negative,  
"I have always known that one day you would become the next sailor Mars, solider of War and Passion. You know that you have the power of fire within you, for you can feel as I can feel it, burning strongly in your heart, with that power you will have the strength and courage to succeed in all that your heart believes in... But being a warrior of Mars you have another gift. A gift more precious than fire and in many ways more powerful. It is time now Rei hime, for you to awaken this power, time for you to look into the flames," Eris had never looked more regal to her daughter than at that moment, almost as if the fires could sense her praise and rewarded her with a beauty and grace that surpassed all others, "ask them to reveal to you their secrets... and if you are patient they will show to you all that has been, all that is and all that will be..."  
  
Rei's eyes flickered towards the roaring flames, her whole body quivered in anticipation; mama was letting her read the fires now? She shook thoughts of how jealous Yuuichirou would be and how she would tell her new friends of her experience, from her mind as her face became stoic with determination. As she concentrated upon the dancing flames her thoughts, her gaze, her senses lost themselves to their light and warmth. Many believe fire to be nothing but a vicious destroyer of life a powerful force merciless, cruel and undiscriminating in its madness, but to Rei the flames gave life, they symbolised the great passions, the joys, indeed the very spirit of existence, warm and inviting like a mother's embrace. A new sensation surrounded her, one of calm and harmony; she had sat and watched the fires before as her mother gazed into them, but never had she felt this way. Violet orbs glistened with the lively light of the flames; they beckoned to her, bending back and forth calling her to delve into the secrets they held. The young princess closed her eyes and focused on the heat of the flames,  
'Tell me what you know, please reveal to me your secrets...'  
Suddenly the fire roared to twice its height, Rei felt the flames that run through her own heart soar as images flashed before her.  
Wide-eyed Rei turned to face her mother almost throwing herself into Eris' arms, fear and worry consuming her features,  
"Mama, the princess, the light, was consumed by darkness, mama! Don't let them hurt the princess!"  
Eris wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace, after a moment she began to speak once more,  
"This is your gift fire bird, within these flames you can see the evil that wishes to dim the light, you can sense the darkness as it approaches and with this knowledge, this power you can and must stand up and protect the light from whatever wishes to destroy it."  
"But mama, how? How will I know what to do? I'm so small compared to the darkness..."  
"When the time comes Rei hime, you will be ready... you must remember, no matter how difficult a task seems you can conquer it if you fight with all your heart and soul, call upon those who stand with you for with your friends by your side you will be invincible." Eris' expression became distant as her tiredness reasserted itself in her features,   
"I too have seen what you have seen; darkness is invading our Moon kingdom fire bird, it has remained hidden for so long-perhaps it will soon reveal itself, but as doctrine commands the senshi's powers are taken after the ceremony of their heirs, only my spiritual gift remains-we are all now too weak to fight. It is left to you and the new senshi to save the light from the darkness..."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Congratulations Queen Serenity!" Four small senshi called out in unison as they hurried into the queen's room in the Moon Palace. Serenity turned as they called to her, revealing the baby she held in her arms,  
"I've been waiting for you," she replied beckoning them to her,   
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus-Princess Serenity's Four Guardian Goddesses!" the queen exclaimed. Vibrant smiles spread across all four young faces; Venus stepped forward, as the senshi bowed down on one knee before the queen,  
"Queen the day has come. As leader of the four guardian's of the Moon princess I promise that we will protect her always so that one day she may take her place on the throne and become queen!"   
Queen Serenity nodded, her bright smile unfaltering as she lay her child down in a cot so that the princesses could see her. The four senshi gathered around the baby,  
"She's so tiny" Jupiter remarked  
"She'll grow soon and catch up with you." Serenity replied  
"Its so exciting" Venus grinned  
"I wonder what kind of princess she'll be..." Mars mused as she gazed at the tiny giggling form buried under soft warm blankets.  
  
"Congratulations Serenity!" Aphrodite called entering the room, a large bunch of orange coloured flowers spilling from her hands  
"To you!" the queens of Mars, Mercury and Jupiter chimed in unison, each holding a gift of their own for the moon queen. A great cheer echoed throughout the room as Serenity embraced her friends. As they parted a suddenly feeling of dread and coldness took hold of Eris, her eyes widened as they glanced around the room,  
"Dark energy" she spoke softly, her eyes staring distantly into the shadows.  
  
"Let me in... On this celebration!" a raspy voice called from the dimness of the room, interrupting their celebration. The senshi instinctively moved in front of the Queen and her baby as the voice spoke once more,  
"The biggest event on the moon and you forgot me?!"  
The uninvited guest, moved forward into view, dragging her black shadow. Indeed she was a creature of evil, as dark as Serenity was light. Endless hair as black as night curled around her lithe figure, tied on top in tight odangos, upon her forehead were three glowing upturned crescent moons of ebony.  
" You-Tainting our holy palace! Who are you?!" Venus ordered moving forward as if to repel the darkness. The strange woman only smiled,  
"I live here too! I came from within the deep moon."  
"You're lying, you don't live here!" Jupiter yelled her eyes flashing. Mars stood quietly beside a rather frightened Mercury, staring at the shadow woman, the uninvited one, her mother's words from earlier that day slipping into her thoughts,  
"Its you isn't it," she began almost silently, her voice gaining volume and conviction as she continued, her arm outstretched pointing accusingly "invading our moon! A monstrosity of evil spreading the darkness!!"  
  
Serenity stepped forward, motioning for Venus to watch the princess, before she spoke, her voice gentle yet firm,  
"If you seek peace... I shall welcome you...but I cannot let u bring evil and darkness!"  
  
"Silly you..." replied the dark creature,  
"You too have come from another galaxy. We share the same origin. Welcome the darkness..."   
  
No one had known that the power of light attracts the darkness. No one had known of the shadows that lived deep within the bright moon.   
  
The words of the shadow woman wrapped themselves around Serenity's mind; her arm began to rise, her palm opening as if to do as told and receive the darkness. Mars watched, uncertainty and worry building in her heart, she could sense the others around her; a bond had formed between them at the ceremony, an unbreakable cord that held them together eternally, a bond which now told her that they were as afraid yet as helpless as she felt. Rei wanted her mother to stop the evil, to save the light, she didn't know what to do, she wanted someone to help, someone to do something... and then someone did.  
  
'Princess Mars... do not be swayed by indecision, by fear-let your heart and spirit guide you -I am always here, do not be afraid...'  
  
A strange courage came to her then, a natural strength, which came from deep within, a passion, which Rei would always hold to. Her friends stood by her side and she found the valour to act. Mars glared at the dark aura that encircled the Queen, she felt the energy build within her, her gift to sense the darkness stirred and reaching out her palm she yelled,  
"Freakish one! Vanish at once! Aku Ryo Tai San!" A stream of fire released from her fingertips, penetrating the dark aura with its light and warmth. A small attack, true, but it was enough. She blinked, amazed at herself.  
The dark woman moved backwards her hypnosis interrupted by the sudden interference; her eyes glazed over a she spoke once again,  
"Fools...With the light comes darkness. The dark calls the light...as the light calls upon the dark!!"  
Her arms flew out to her sides, an almighty gust of wind gathered around her, spiralling into a cyclone of shadow. The senshi pulled back, making a protective wall around the moon princess, as the darkness grew, unsure as to what was happening. The queen however stood tall, raising her moon wand against the creature, she released the light of the Silver Crystal. The brightness spread out like moonbeams penetrating the night,  
"I shall seal you away...in the darkness forever!" she cried, pushing the shadow creature to the furthest corner of her room, towards a golden mirror which stood there. A final cry came from the shadow woman as her dark soul was locked away inside of the reflective glass,  
"A gift from me!! Take it!!! My beautiful curse!! This kingdom will cease to exist. The princess will die before she sees her throne. That is my gift to you!"  
As if in proof of the curse, the baby princess began to cry...  
  
Author's babble:  
  
I've had this chapter finished for a while now-I just completed it when the system went down-but since its finally back up-here you go-!  
I already have chapter 7 written out, it was originally chapter 6 but I decided that I needed an extra chapter to link them together-so as soon as 6 is done, I'll put 7 up as well^ _ ^ Hopefully wont take too long.  
  
Anyway, in the mean time, hope you enjoy this chapter!  
  
H.n.H 


	7. The holy sword

The Embers of a Flame ~ Chapter 6  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
The night had been one of the darkest the Moon Kingdom had ever seen. Not one word was spoken about the curse but it hung over them all like a dark cloud threatening to rain.   
The palace was quiet now as its residence slept, lulled to their beds by the wearied exhaustion of panic and fear. Not all slept peacefully however.  
The Martian princess tossed and turned in her bed, the soft cover already thrown aside as she struggled with the images in her dreams. Sweat slid down her forehead as her face contorted with fear, she whimpered silently as tears trickled gently down her face...  
  
~~~~  
The Martian palace was shadowed by a faintly red hue as Rei hurried through its familiar yet unfamiliar corridors. The sound of her feet on the marbled floors blended with the faint music, which flowed through the air towards her. She stood still for a moment trying to understand what was happening.  
"Fire bird!" her mother's voice seemed close by, yet distant as it echoed suddenly from behind her. The raven-haired princess spun around only to find herself in the middle of the Martian forest. The music was louder and more distinctive here; it held an eerie tone with notes that did not quite harmonise. Rei found herself being drawn to the melancholy melody as she moved unwillingly towards its source. Without warning a thin hand took a hold of her arm, dragging Rei roughly into a dim clearing. The grey woman her father had been talking to stood before her now, reaching out to her with long spindly fingers, which began to stretch and entangle around her like the branches of a tree. They wrapped tightly around her throat, pulling tighter still as the Martian princess struggled against them. Gasping for air Rei once again heard her mother's voice calling to her. The gentle sound freed her from the grasp of the woman, before it faded completely along with the graeae herself. The world around the fire princess darkened and she found herself alone.  
"Mama?" she called tentatively into the shadows. The sound echoed threateningly around her, growing louder and louder until the ground beneath her began to shake and break away. Falling into the emptiness her hand stretched upwards; calling for the light.  
~~~  
  
Rei awoke with a start, her hands grasping at her throat as she gasped for air. Her eyes darted upwards towards the bed she had fallen from, a quiet sigh escaping her lips as she slowly got to her feet. The images of her dream swirled in her mind making her disorientated-what had they meant? The fire princess had thought at first that being able to receive visions of the approaching darkness and future events would be useful...but if they all appeared to her in a distorted bundle of images and colours like this one they would be in fact completely pointless. Steadying herself on the corner of the bedstead Rei padded silently out of the room towards the bathroom.  
  
The cool and soothing water running from the tap helped to still her mind as she splashed it into her face. Sighing softly she turned to the window where she could just make out the tip of Mars' north pole as it rose over the moon kingdom's horizon, a shiver descended her spine as the feelings of the vision returned to her. A heart breaking anxiety gripped her, the sound of the running water slipping into perfect silence, as the fog in her mind cleared a little leaving behind the fragmented images of the terrible grey woman wrapped around the stony figure of her father.   
"Fire bird..."  
The echo of movement in the hallway brought her senses back to reality drawing her gaze from the window and allowing the sickening feeling to diminish. Rei's mind turned immediately to the moon princess' safety; she hurriedly ceased the running water before throwing herself into the corridor. The dim lighting given by the fiery torches, which lined the marble hallways of the moon palace, gave just enough illumination for Rei to make out the shadowy form stumbling about outside of the Moon princess' bedroom. Pulling back a little way behind a column Rei reached for the Mars henshin pen, which she kept with her at all times. Whispering the special phrase of transformation the small senshi of fire appeared in a whirl of flames. Peeking back into the hallway Mars spotted the shadowy figure again and positioned herself for action,  
"Stop right there intruder from the darkness! I sailor Mars will...mmmfph!"  
A small hand rushed forward from the shadows, clamping over her mouth, Mars struggled with all her might but found it almost impossible to move. A muffled cry was heard as the shadow backed away holding their hand,  
"Mars why'd ya have to go and bite me...man that hurts"  
"Jupiter chan?" Mars asked blinking into the darkness until she focused in on the tall form of the Jovian senshi, "ah! Gomen ne I thought you were a monster sent by the dark lady!"  
Jupiter nodded and motioned for the fire senshi to be quiet,  
"Well I'm not-but I heard a noise from in there" she motioned towards the princess' bedroom, "I hope its not a monster-but if it is...man will it be sorry for coming in here to hurt the princess." Jupiter slammed a fist into her open palm. Mars glanced towards the marble door as another thump sounded from within  
"Maybe you're right Jupiter," she said her voice a little shaky, "We better go in..."  
"Right...well you first-"  
"Na a you were here first, be my guest"  
"No really I don't mind at all..."  
"You go-"  
"No you..."  
"Yo-"  
THUMP  
The two young senshi exchanged a quick glance before they both charged recklessly into the moon princess' room. Neither got very far however as their feet caught on a large soft lump by the door.  
"Ouch-Jupiter get your foot out of my face!"  
"My foot isn't in your face, your knee is in mine!"  
  
"..."  
  
Four high-pitched screams were quickly followed by a blinding light.  
"Venus chan?" "Mars chan!"  
"Mercury chan?!" "Jupiter chan!!"  
"Senshi by Selene what are you doing here at such an ungodly hour?"  
Four slightly blushed faces glanced up to see a rather irate Luna staring down at them; a short silence was followed by a clamour of explanations.  
"Okay okay enough enough!" Luna sighed, her cat like odangos drooped on the sides of her head as she rubbed her eyes tiredly,  
"Yes well I see your good intentions, but as you can all see the princess is quite safe and..."  
"Purr thnur!"  
All eyes turned to the moon princess, who sat sleepily in her cot staring wide eyed at the odd scene before her,  
"Purr anhuty?" she gurgled blinking at Luna. The senshi glanced worriedly to Serenity and then to Luna-they'd done it now...they'd woken the princess up and if she cried, everyone in the palace would know about it...  
Luna however, smiled. Quietly she padded over to the princess' cot and lay the baby back down while cooing softly to her,  
"Did your silly senshi wake you up coochy bunny, well don't you worry they wont bother your sleep anymore...that's right shhh, sleepy byes shhh."  
The senshi exchanged amused glances -coochy bunny?  
Luna however, did not seem in the slightest bit amused as she turned to face them once again,  
"Come with me-there is something I want to show you all."  
  
Quietly the princess warriors followed Luna as she led them deep inside the moon palace. Finally stopping their trek in front of a large silvery marble door she turned to face them with a warning stare,  
"This room is most sacred be careful what you do in here..."  
As Luna finished speaking the large doors slid open behind her to reveal a room that looked as if it were made solely of pure crystal. The walls glistened as if from their own source of light and at a moments notice they would shimmer with the different colours of the rainbow,  
"Luna is this the sacred prayer room?" Mercury's soft voice spoke, yet for all it was a whisper, it echoed harmoniously around the room.  
"No, only the queen herself is permitted to enter that blessed place- this is I suppose your sacred room, used by the original moon warriors to house the holy sword."  
"The holy sword?"  
Luna nodded, moving aside she pointed to the glimmering object in the centre of the room. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter moved forward towards the article, which, as they drew nearer they could see, was encased deeply within a stone plinth,  
"This sword is the legendary weapon that protects the princess-it belongs now to all of you as it belonged to your ancestors before you. In a time of trouble you must take the sword from the stone and wielding its power restore peace to this kingdom."  
The four senshi gathered around the blade, eyes wide in awe.  
"Princesses I brought you here because I can see how much you care for the moon princess already - but this sword and this room must remain a secret...none but senshi are to know of its existence or of its power..."  
As the four girls nodded in a united understanding and acceptance their eyes met. A silence passed briefly as each reached out for their bond to the others.  
  
"Lets make a pact, we'll promise to always protect our princess no matter what." Venus began, placing her palm onto the hilt of the sword,  
"We wont let anyone hurt her, we'll always be there..." Jupiter added, her voice low and determined.  
"Her guardians, her warriors...her friends." Mercury continued softly. The three senshi glanced to Mars, who stared at their hands gathered on the hilt of the sword,  
"Today, Tomorrow and beyond, for all eternity..."  
  
****  
  
  
"Ares, dear sweet Ares...there is but 3 weeks until our victory will be complete..." Enyo hissed almost silently as she moved behind the Martian king's chair,  
"Harmony's anni..." Ares began, his voice raspy. His usual blue eyes now as grey and lifeless as stone as they stared endlessly into the warm fires of his study. Enyo smiled,  
"Yes brother-the perfect time to destroy everything don't you agree?"  
Ares remained silent, his hand curled slowly into a fist as a small flicker of blue flashed in his eyes-so tiny it could be mistaken for a brief reflection of the flames...but Enyo saw its true nature. She spun around so that her face confronted his, sitting herself in his lap as her eye swivelled to the right, piercing into his,  
"Tell me Ares...tell me why...why she must suffer...tell me!!"  
The fire's light reflected upon his face, once again hardening his eyes,  
"Harmony banished you from your rightful home, cursing her kingdom and her planet-she made you suffer sweetest sister and...and Sailor Mars...Sai-she murdered Inanna...my Inanna..." The king's voice droned showing no sliver of emotion, barely recognisable to his usually passionate speech. Enyo gently caressed his cheek,  
"That's right brother and the anniversary of the great warrior of fire's death will soon be a much great cause for celebration!"  
Enyo gently closed Ares' eyes as she pushed herself closer to his chest; her lips reaching out softly touched his. His fist loosened, and his hand slipping from the chair, hung by his side.  
  
  
Author's Babble:  
  
Man did that take forever and an age to write^. ^;  
I hope it all makes sense...I'm known for confusing people when I think that what I'm doing is perfectly understandable!  
Any who enjoy- I'll be posting chapter 7 straight after this so um happy reading   
^. ^;; 


	8. A sorrowful slumber

The Embers of a Flame ~ Chapter 7  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
A few weeks after the birth of the Moon princess, another celebration was taking place. In honour of the service and devotion given by Harmony, first Queen of Mars and Warrior of Fire, the Royal families, officials and friends of the Silver Millennium had gathered together on Mars to remember the great woman on the tenth anniversary of her passing. The grand Martian ceremony hall was filled with music and laughter as guests arrived by the minute despite the expected onset of the summer storms, in fact only three were missing from the celebration after it had commenced.   
Eris had sent word to Ares warning him of the party and ordering him to stay away from the function room throughout, she was well aware of his ill feelings towards many of the guests and did not want him to spoil a celebration in honour of her mother. Ares simply had not replied, he was however, one of the three not in attendance. The Martian queen herself had not yet arrived in the hall and when questioned servants or maids would reply that she would be along momentarily, in truth she remained in the sacred fire temple for a long time after the party had begun. Queen Serenity was the final person absent from the celebrations. It had been decided that the princesses should have a separate party to themselves, as adult gatherings were often boring for the children; and so in a small room just off from the main hall a mini banquet had been set out for them. It was here where Serenity had remained for a while, watching over her little princess as she played with the others, already her daughter had grown to the size of a two year old and the other princesses doted on her.  
  
Princess Serenity sat on the floor giggling with delight as Princess Makoto of Jupiter chased after the blonde Venusian princess who had just spilt her juice over the tall brunette. Princess Ami of Mercury picked up a sandwich and offered it to the young princess as Rei mumbled something about 'immature and silly behaviour.'  
The Moon princess' eyes lit up at the offered sandwich,  
"nkoo" she smiled to Ami but before she could even taste the delicious present she was pulled from harms way by Ami as Minako tripped on Rei's foot and went sprawling to the ground. Minako picked herself up from the floor and frowned as she peeled the squished sandwich from her dress. All eyes turned to the moon princess who instantly began wailing at the top of her lungs, arms outstretched for her lost present. Rei grumbled as she picked up a biscuit and shovelled it into the crying princess' mouth. Serenity's tears ceased as she sucked on the chocolaty treat. Minako sighed thankful it was all over before throwing the sandwich over her head. The squished savoury landed atop of the Martian princess, successfully snapping the temperamental princess' last straw,  
" Mi-Na-ko!!" Rei growled her hands curling into fists as the blonde yelped and took off running once again.  
  
Queen Serenity smiled as she watched the princesses they reminded her so much of her own senshi and herself at that age, it was such a shame they had to grow up. Responsibilities and power took all of the fun from her gatherings these days, something always happened to throw a dampener on their mood. A stray thought of the shadow woman's curse filtered into her mind momentarily. The queen turned at the sound of the door to the room opening and smiled as Eris slipped quietly inside. Rei immediately stopped chasing Minako as she caught sight of her mother,  
"Mama!" she cried happily, running into the open arms of the Martian queen. Eris smiled weakly at her daughter as they pulled away from the embrace; she looked ever the part of the beautiful and refined Queen of Mars; it was however, an image of tragic beauty. Her Lilac eyes seemed to be memorizing ever part of Rei's face as she gazed unmoving at her daughter,  
"Mama?" Rei tilted her head a bemused expression gracing her features,  
"I love you fire bird...always."  
"I love you too Mama," Rei grinned seemingly taking no note of the sadness in her mother's voice. Eris passed her hand gently over Rei's cheek and then stood and turned to face Serenity, her expression now serious and businesslike  
"Serenity, can I speak with you for a moment...?"   
Serenity nodded to her friend as she stood and they moved into the hallway to keep out of the princesses' hearing range.  
"Serenity, I need you to promise me something," Eris voice shook slightly as she spoke,  
"I need you...if something ever happens Serenity, if something, Ares, he isn't who he used to be Serenity, darkness has..." Eris' hand reached up to the ruby necklace, which hung around her throat, it had belonged originally to her great grandmother and had become to her a symbol of her mother's love, calming and comforting. Her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to compose her thoughts. Serenity reached out and took her fire senshi's hands in her own, her smile shone as Eris' eyes opened to look at her once more, encouraging her to continue,  
"Serenity, I have been given such confusing visions lately and have been before the sacred fires for many days, many days but they will show only what I fear and nothing more. A terrible darkness has settled upon the Martian palace, I feel that it has been here since my childhood perhaps long before, but now more than ever it swirls around me as if to choke my breath," Eris voice was barely above a whisper as she continued,  
"Serenity, if the darkness should triumph, promise me, promise me that you will protect my daughter, take Rei away from here, her destiny need not be as dim as..."  
The desperation in the Martian queen's eyes caused a sudden pang of concern and foreboding within the Moon queen's heart,  
"Eris what do you mean...what is going to happen I can help...the others we can..."  
Eris shook her head frantically,  
"No...no this darkness is mine alone, I will not involve the light in such matters-it will be okay...I regret nothing. Now promise me..."  
Serenity tightened her hold on Eris' hands, gentle eyes gazed into lilac turmoil, offering peace and strength,  
"I promise...Eris, I promise."  
Eris sighed in relief, her shoulders slumped and her head bowed,  
"Thank you..."  
  
Violet eyes watched curiously as the scene between Moon and Mars unfolded. Rei had noticed the melancholy in her mother's mood and although their words were lost to the air she knew as Serenity pulled her mother into a warm embrace that only more sadness could follow...  
  
  
A sudden roar erupted from the Ceremony Hall, causing Eris and Serenity to break quickly from their embrace. Rei slipped quietly back into the room as the queens hurried past her to the party. Biting her lip the Martian princess nodded to herself before edging herself out after them.   
The other princesses too deeply involved now in a pillow fight did not notice the absence of the young senshi of fire.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Martian ceremony hall had become deathly still; the band had fallen silent upon the entrance of the disorientated Martian king, who had begun to shout madly at the gathered crowd until his gaze met that of Aphrodite,  
"Inanna, why did you leave me?" Ares spoke sorrowfully, staring into the tearful blue eyes of the Venusian Queen,  
"Ares she is not Inanna for the final time take your hands off my wife!" Eros bellowed glaring daggers at the Martian king. Aphrodite flinched at the sound of her husbands raised voice,  
"Stay out of this Eros it is not your concern!" Ares glared back, tightening his hold on Aphrodite's wrist. Ares' blue grey eyes softened as they turned to gaze on Aphrodite once again,  
"Inanna, you know how much my heart belongs to you why do you deny the feelings you have for me, sweet gentle Inanna why did you hurt me so much...why..."  
Tears ran freely down Aphrodite's face as Ares held his broken heart out on his sleeve to her. The other guests stood around the trio mixed expressions on their faces, some of pity, some of anger and some of impatience,  
"For kami sama sake Ares! How many times!" Eros groaned pulling out his sword. Aphrodite turned to Eros a disappointed look in her eyes, the Venusian king sighed and lowed the weapon. Aphrodite turned once more to Ares, taking his cheek in her hand as she whispered gently to him,  
"Ares, Inanna, my dear sister loved you with all of her heart and I know that your heart aches still for the loss of your soul mate, but it is time for you to let go... Inanna is dead Ares, she died a long time ago in the accident, the fire on the Moon kingdom and..."  
"No!!!" Ares yelled pulling away from the blonde haired queen, his hands raised to his ears refusing to listen. He turned slowly eyes clouded with tears as he scanned the crowd of guests for someone who could help him, who could tell Inanna the truth. He stopped as his gaze met that of Eris. The Martian queen stood emotionless before him,  
"This is all your fault fire demon, you destroyed everything, you and your 'powers.' You think you are so special because you control the fires, that you are, you are..."Ares roared, his eyes now burning with hatred. Aphrodite reached out to him, afraid of what he may do, but in his anger he brushed her aside,  
"Ares..."Eris began, only to be cut off by her husband,  
"No Eris, your time will come..." he glowered at her before backing slowly out of the room, with one final glance to Aphrodite he was gone.  
  
"Eris...?"Aphrodite whispered into the silence that followed. The Martian queen glanced up towards the senshi of love,  
"Please, everyone, I apologise for the interruption," she looked to the band, which immediately began to play once again,  
"Enjoy the remainder of the celebration..."  
Eris smiled weakly to Aphrodite before making her own way out of the hall. The Venusian queen turned to Serenity for instruction, but the Moon queen simply shook her head.  
"...I promise Eris ... Farewell"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Rei peered silently into the grand hall as the scene played out, her heart pounding as her father stormed from the room closely followed by her mother. They would argue again now she supposed-but for some reason this time it felt different.  
"Ah I see the little fire bird is sneaking in where she doesn't belong again..."  
Rei jumped at the sound of that terrible voice, spinning around she found the grey woman standing closely behind her,  
"Did you forget what your father said happened when people are caught spying...?"  
Enyo's head titled to the side a sly grin etched upon her face,  
"Maybe..."she began moving her face closer to Rei's, "he'll punish someone else for your crime hum...?"  
Rei felt her blood boil as the images of the vision she'd had the night of the moon princess' birth flooded her mind and the courage and the passion she had found since her last encounter with the grey woman returned to her,  
"Or perhaps I will punish you...evil monstrosity for invading our home!"  
Enyo broke her unnerving stare and began to laugh manically,  
"Brave words for such a small imp...but I wonder how brave you will be when mama and her little soldiers can no longer protect you..."  
At that Rei lunged forwards, her small hands reaching out to attack, but as her fingertips grazed the rough fabric of Enyo's dress the Graeae vanished into thin air.   
  
"Fire bird..."  
Steadying herself against the wall, Rei calmed her breath as the feeling of heart breaking anxiety returned to her-in the weeks after her arrival home from the Moon Rei had tried to coax the sacred flames into telling her more about her vision, but they would only replay the same images over and over-perhaps today she would fully understand their meaning.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Outside the summer storm was well underway, unyielding rain battered the hard earth as the merciless wind whistled through the trees of the forest bending nature in a twisted rhythm.  
Eris hair whipped about her face, unfurled from it regal styling, as she ran quickly through the palace gardens into the bordering forests, it did not take long for the Martian queen to find her fate.  
"My time is now Ares." She called over the howling wind. The king turned to face his wife, she appeared before his soulless eyes, the form he hated most,  
"Well if it isn't sailor Mars herself, queen Eris - destroyer of lives..."  
Enyo emerged from behind Ares, her arms draping over her brother's shoulders as she spoke. Eris recoiled at the image before her; even in the fires the grey woman had never appeared so grotesque.  
"What is the matter Mars, don't you remember me?" Enyo laughed, "or is it that I still disgust you after all these years..." her grin became more sinister as she traced an invisible pattern across Ares' chest.  
"She's confused dear brother...perhaps she really has forgotten..."  
Eris stared hard at the woman by her husband as the initial shock of her words sunk in,  
"You were born on Mars...?"  
  
**Flash back**  
  
"It is their decision Harmony, we know that having such a child would not interfere with the marriage arrangements for Eris and Ares, but they worry the girl will bring them disgrace...and quite frankly I believe their decision is correct,"  
A four year old Eris watched quietly from a crack in the door as her father paced before her mother's desk,  
"The child is a demon, born with the hair of an old woman, a single eye that lolls between both sockets!"   
Harmony fixed her husband with her violet gaze,  
"Cadmus, Enyo is still a child...all children are born in innocence, it is not right to abandon her..."  
  
**End flash back**  
  
"So you are the Graeae child," Eris began, "The one my mother wished to save..."  
Enyo flinched, untangling herself from Ares,  
"No...Harmony is the one who abandoned me...the one responsible for all of our pain...Ares your patience has served you well, our plan has reached fruitition, now is the time destroy our pain. Destroy the one who killed your love, your Inanna!"  
On command Ares' hand lifted his sword and moved towards his wife. Eris remained unmoving as he advanced towards her - she finally understood the darkness, which loomed over her - in a way Enyo had been right; they had all been cursed by Harmony's eventual allowance of an innocent life to be lost to the darkness.  
"Now I will end that curse," Eris muttered. Her palms drew together as if in mediation and then slowly her right hand outstretched she cried,  
"Aku Ryo Tai San!"  
The force of the charm knocked Ares to the ground, his sword sliding along the soakened earth. Eris turned to Enyo, all fear and worry gone from her features; a total clarity remained as she drew an invisible Mandala in the air before her,  
"You use your words to pollute the minds of others, distorting them to serve you but alone you are nothing. You evil creature, using your own brother's guilt and sorrow to turn him against those who truly care - My father was right Enyo, you are a demon..."  
Silent words slipped from her tongue, the mandala glowed with a spiritual light,  
"Evil - Be gone!"  
  
"Enyo!" Ares cried as her heartless body dissolved within the light of the sacred circle. He stumbled to his feet before charging in a blind rage at Eris, knocking her to the ground before she could speak, his fists beating into her small frame,  
"You witch! You fire demon! You've taken away everything, all I had you've take it...all"  
He moved away gasping for air, tears streaming down his face as he stared at the woman who lay before him, her eyes offered him only sympathy, no pain, no anger no regrets.  
He groaned as he moved backwards to retrieve his sword, his thoughts still not completely his own he prepared to end this pain, to destroy the one who broke him. As his hand touched the cool hilt of the weapon he felt her hand upon his shoulder.   
Eris turned Ares around to face her, grasping hold of the hand, which held his sword so that she could speak before he attacked,  
"Ares," She began softly, tears forming and spilling slowly over the brim of her eyes, "Open your heart to me again Ares, we were happy once, a long time ago, remember? We were so happy, but Inanna died and you blamed the senshi for not saving her, you blamed me for the fire...it wasn't our fault Ares" Eris voice was little but a whisper, almost lost in the wind as she spoke, "I was the one who pulled her from the flames Ares, I never told you that, I never told you what her dying words to me were... 'Eris do not let Ares suffer,' she said, 'let him know that I love him always...mend his heart Eris, let him feel no pain.' But you would not let me into your arms let alone your heart, you blocked me from your pain, you blocked out your daughter who wanted nothing more than to love you Ares, you became cruel and stubborn and now you will destroy everything, even the dying wish of Inanna?"  
Eris' words fell on unwilling ears; Ares pulled his hand from her grasp, his heart as cold to her as winter and eyes as unyielding and uncaring as stone,  
"Burn...in Hades Eris."  
The Martian queen gasped as the cool metal of Ares' sword sliced through her flesh, as her vision clouded, she reached her hand up slowly to Ares' cheek,  
"Light always conquers darkness...I forgive you Ares - my dearest love," she uttered. Ares pushed her from his blade shock and realisation suddenly setting into his features as Eris sank to her knees,  
"My sweet, brave ...fire bird..."  
Her eyes closed as her body fell to the earth.  
  
  
"MAMA...!!!"  
  
The heart broken scream pierced to the soul of the Martian king. He looked up to see his daughter, her party dress crimson like blood was torn and stained with mud, her raven hair swirled about her paled face. Ares looked to the ground where his wife lay in a pool of blood mixed with rain, he gasped looking to his own blood stained hands as he backed away, confusion settling in his mind.  
  
Rei watched as her father moved away through the trees, a familiar look appeared in his features; a look of danger or perhaps it was fear - a mixture of hurt, guilt and denial. Rei waited until she could no longer feel his presence before moving closer to her mother's limp form. Slowly she knelt down and reached forward to brush the ebony strands of hair from her mother's face,  
"Mama," she called gently, "Its okay mama, he's gone now, we're okay..."  
Rei shook Eris softly as the tears, which welled up in her eyes mixed with the rain as they slipped down her cheeks,  
"Mama, wake up...wake up..."  
Rei sat back, glancing down at the queen's body, her outstretched hand passed slowly over the open wound,  
"Mama..."she whispered gazing at the warm blood that covered her tiny fingers. Her heart felt empty. With nowhere else to turn Rei curled up beside her mother, the familiar warmth and love that normally radiated from her now lost, Rei's sobs lulled her into a sorrowful slumber as the summer storm continued heartlessly on around her. 


	9. Safe and Protected

The Embers of a Flame ~ Chapter 8  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
  
"Rei sama?!"  
The planetary princesses froze mid cushion throw and turned to face the young boy standing nervously by the door. His blue eyes searched their faces frantically,  
"Where is she?" he cried in desperation. Minako turned around about to ask Rei if this was the handsome knight she 'wasn't' going to marry, when she realised that in fact the Martian princess wasn't there,  
"She's...gone-" the blonde stammered  
"Gone where?"  
Minako looked to her friends who each had a blank expression on their face,  
"We-um... don't know."  
Yuuichirou became like stone, his face paled, breath stilled. Then suddenly he spun around and shot off again. The girls rushed to the door and peered out after him,  
"What's wrong?" Makoto called after him but he ignored the question and continued running. Serenity tugged at Ami's dress,  
"Rei-chan rubble...?" the moon princess' wide blue eyes blinked as all three princesses stared down at her, then with one shared glance they took off after Yuuichirou, princess serenity teetering slowly behind, her walking skills being newly acquired.  
"That way!" Minako called as she caught sight of the Martian boy heading out through a large metal door,  
"He has gone outside into the storm..?" Ami asked rather than stated. Makoto gritted her teeth,  
"Then Rei must be out there too-we'll have to follow him!"  
"But the princess-"  
"Someone will have to stay and..."  
  
"None of you will be leaving through that door."   
  
The voice belonged the Lunarian queen who now stood towering behind them, the princess in her arms, Aphrodite to her left, Juno and Athena to her right (the queens of Jupiter and Mercury respectively)  
"But-" Minako began,  
"No buts-"Aphrodite finished, "What did you think you were doing? Leaving the princess alone and planning on going out in that storm, do you know how dangerous it is?"  
The girls lowered their heads and muttered a united 'sorry'  
"Where is princess Rei?" Queen Serenity asked suddenly, the Martian princess' absence causing her great concern  
"Mama! Wrei outside, boy rubble...fowwo" Serenity offered helpfully, blue eyes staring hopeful at her mother. The queen's lilac eyes darted to the window just in time to see Yuuichirou's small form disappear into the forest. Her heart sank, the bond she had formed years ago with her senshi told her that Eris was in trouble and although the stubborn Martian queen said that she didn't want help, that's exactly what Serenity planned on giving her (after a small amount of deliberation) when she'd gathered the other queens and headed out of the hall, but it seemed there was more at stake here than she had first imagined.  
"Rei may be in trouble now also- Aphrodite take the children back to their room" she handed her daughter to the worried Venusian queen before heading out into the storm with Athena and Juno by her side.  
  
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Yuuichirou battled through the forest, the rain pounding against him as he ran. Rei loved this forest if she wasn't in the palace then she must be here, he silently thought-and prayed. He pushed back memories of the last time he had ran through these trees in search of Rei- that day Ares had...  
His thoughts stopped as the young lord caught sight of something up ahead,  
"Rei sama?!" His call faded away on the howling wind but he charged forward ever faster, the beating of his feet on the ground in rhythm with the pulsation of his heart.  
Then it was before him. The great Queen of Mars and her daughter lay unmoving in the centre of the clearing, broken branches and crumpled leaves whirled around them, as the rain battered against their skin. Yuuichirou sunk to his knees by the princess he had sworn to protect. Edging forward he checked the queen for a pulse and found none. His eyes caught sight of the blood, which ran down her middle, pooling into a murky mass in the mud beneath, it turned his stomach but he didn't move away, couldn't move away. Tears laced his eyes as he reached down next to see if Rei had survived. His ragged breath echoed in his mind like thunder, as his fingers shook on her wrist-how fragile she seemed at that moment, how delicate life was.  
  
  
His eyes became wide as a small pulse tapped lightly against his fingers, a few moments more and the sensation repeated. Rei was alive.  
  
  
Yuuichirou filled with relief beyond words gathered up the small frame of the Martian princess, he held her freezing form close to him as he pulled his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around her, gently rubbing her back to warm her. Rei pulled closer to him, murmuring softly under her breath as she felt the missing warmth and love return,  
"Mama..."  
Silently he rocked the princess in his arms, she was safe- everything would be all right.  
  
  
An anguished cry rang out into the clearing, disturbing Yuuichirou's quiet meditation; he glanced up to see the queens of the Moon, Jupiter and Mercury, their faces paled with a look of horror and sadness mixed in their eyes. Athena was the first to move forward, she bent down over the cold body of her friend and after a moment glanced up to the others and shook her head sorrowfully. Serenity moved slowly and knelt down beside Athena, her hand reached out brushing the hair from Eris' face then her palm moved and hovered over her heart. Closing her eyes Serenity concentrated upon the power of the silver crystal, upon the power of the Martian senshi. Her shoulder's sagged; there was nothing- Eris had left them. As her eyes flickered open they rested on Yuuichirou and the figure he held tightly in his arms. Motioning for Juno and Athena to take Eris' body back to the palace Serenity stood and moved slowly towards the young lord. Cupping his bewildered face in her hand she glanced down at the sleeping form of the fire princess. Smiling brightly the Lunarian queen held out her arms towards him. Slowly Yuuichirou passed Rei into the Moon queen's arms, then standing himself, they set off after Juno and Athena.  
  
A sudden glint of red caught Yuuichirou's attention as they left the clearing; stopping he bent down to scoop the object up from the mud. His eyes glanced over the ruby necklace that now graced his palm, even caked in mud and stained with drops of blood he recognised it as belonging to Queen Eris. Glancing up he noticed Queen Serenity gazing back at him, an odd smile on her face. She reached her spare hand out to him - slowly he took it and they moved back through the forest towards the palace.  
  
  
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The responsibility of ruling over Mars automatically passed to Ares; it was his duty to act as a guardian of the red planet until his daughter was old enough to rule alone. (For the silver millennium was a matriarchy) Although Rei had insisted that her father remain in the palace and that the knowledge of Eris' murderer was to be kept a secret, for she believed an outside dark force had influenced the Martian king in his actions, Serenity would not allow Ares to rule alone and under her instruction a triumvirate was established with Lord and Lady Thebes taking part guardianship.  
  
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As news of the queen of Mars' death spread, the solar system was thrown into mourning, so much so that even the celebrations held in honour of the senshi's move to the Moon was dulled with grey sadness. No one of course was more affected than the seven-year-old princess of Mars, her world had crumbled at her feet and she was left in a place darker than Eris could have imagined. Her mother's funeral was declared the day, which marked the united sorrow of the galaxy, but Rei refused to shed one tear. People marvelled at how brave the young princess was but what they saw was only a shell, a shielding created and presented to the world by Rei while everything else that she had been was locked tight away, safe and protected.  
  
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Authors babble:  
  
Hello! ^_^  
  
And welcome to the end of (the unofficial) part 1 of the story! I hope you are enjoying it so far. There is still a lot to come in part two so I hope to see you then!  
  
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! It is very much appreciated.  
  
H.n.H 


	10. For a Moment

The Embers of a Flame - Chapter 9  
By Himitsu no Hi  
  
  
"I wish I could stay here again Serenity, I envy the time they now have together, I do not know how Athena and Juno managed to pull themselves away last week...and oh how I will miss my little Minako!" Aphrodite sniffed softly as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. Serenity smiled as she turned from the princesses who were playing in their new room to face the Venusian queen,  
"She is not exactly little anymore Aphrodite- and don't worry she already loves it here and you know that you and Eros are always welcome."   
Aphrodite sighed and nodded as she glanced over to the young girls once more. As her gaze caught sight of Rei her expression deepened in concern,  
"How is she holding up?"  
Queen Serenity followed Aphrodite's gaze until her own eyes rested upon the Martian princess who sat quietly by the large window of the room staring absently out into the garden, a slight frown creased her forehead.  
"I'm worried about her, although she seems fine and tells me so when I ask I can sense something troubling that stirs in her thoughts and in her heart. Eris always told me that Rei was such an active, bright and somewhat temperamental child much like she had been at her age but Aphrodite I've seen no such thing from the poor girl." Serenity softly shook her head,  
"I fear that we're slowly loosing her - that she is loosing herself to something that she has yet to realise - only she can over come..."  
  
  
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Darkness they always began in darkness, but then slowly the light would come, a light so bright that it should burn the eyes of those who dared to glimpse it, but the light always welcomed her gaze and wrapped its warmth around her and for that moment, that second, the walls of her heart crumbled and her spirit was free, she was free.  
  
But it was just a dream, and as with most dreams it did not last- the warmth would ebb silently away and the darkness would return, bringing with it the images that haunted her mind, visions that forced her to rebuild the walls so that the fragile self would be protected.  
  
"Maybe...he'll punish someone else for your crime hum...?"  
  
"Burn...in Hades Eris."  
  
Afraid, her hand reached out into the darkness calling for the light to return, she felt cold, so cold...  
  
In the midst of the darkness and confusion an aura like her own returned her call, quiet and dim at first, it began to grow in strength as she concentrated upon it, its light, not like that which enveloped her before the darkness, but instead like a flame which braved the darkest night. She reached out to it and it reached out to her as if their thoughts and movements were one. A strange feeling rested on her heart, soft and comforting yet burning and passionate and then just as her fingers grazed the fiery light it vanished.  
  
The grey woman's face flashed before her, merging silently into that of the dark woman who had cursed the baby Serenity and then finally the image she hated most filled her vision...  
  
"MAMA!"  
  
Rei awoke with a start, all that she had seen swirling madly around in her mind as she tried to remember where she was.   
A gentle light filtered in through the doorway of the room pushing away the darkness from her dreams and allowing calmness to return- she remembered now.  
  
Two weeks ago Queen Serenity had announced that it was time for the new generation of senshi to being their training and schooling on the moon kingdom. Very few people realised that in doing so Serenity was fulfilling her promise to the late Queen of Mars, but it was agreed upon by most that this was a wonderful time to celebrate. Rei had not found the grand party in the moon palace to be a very joyous affair however, most people seemed afraid to speak to her as if she were so fragile that even a whisper would crack her brave facade.   
How little they understood.  
Rei was at least glad to have escaped the oppressive and suffocating atmosphere that had overcome the Martian palace- life on Mars would never be the same without her mother...her father hadn't even come to say goodbye, she understood that his battle with darkness was still far from concluded.   
  
Rei quietly slipped out from under the crimson covers of her bed, padding silently over to her dressing table where she had abandoned her dressing gown a few hours earlier she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror - a shiver passed over her as reproachful violet eyes glared back at her.   
Would those eyes ever forgive her?   
Preferring not to dwell on that matter she swiftly she moved towards the door of her room tugging on the lilac robe as she came to a stop in an area the girls had named 'the pool room.' Ironically there was no such luxury as a pool in that room, it was instead a place where the girls themselves 'pooled' together. The pool room, in fact reminded Rei very much of the teleportation room on Mars, as on each of the surrounding six walls was a different style of door, five of which were currently open and four of which held a sleeping princess.   
  
Every night since she had arrived on the Moon, Rei found herself standing in the pool room peaking in through each door to make sure her friends were safe and sleeping before she made her way to her grandmother's sacred fire room. Meditation had become a vital part of her life since her mother had passed away. Rei had promised herself that she would be strong, that she would not let anyone see her suffering, that she wouldn't let the darkness win. Just like mama had said to her,  
  
'People will try to trick you and hurt you and make you cry and if you let them see your fear, or a single tear fall from your eyes then the darkness in them can grow and attack, you must always stay strong for those you love and for yourself so that you can defeat the dark and evil souls.'   
  
Her papa was not strong enough and the darkness, the grey woman, had taken his soul, had forced him to kill her mama, all because he had been so sad, because he had let his pain consume him. Rei would not let the darkness do that to her. At first her heart had wavered, she missed her mama so much, but she refused to give in - despite the nightmares, the memories that flickered occasionally to the surface of her mind, the images that kept her awake at night and the secret blame, she harboured deep within - she fought against them all with the help of the fires. Rei had learned that with the fires she could do much more than simply learn the future or unlock the past, the warmth and the light which they offered were a strange comfort to the princess, they provided a focus upon which she could still her thoughts, with which she could burry the feelings that would weaken her defence, they gave her tranquillity, a calmness which allowed for the strength and the patience she needed to hide away any part of her that would succumb to darkness' call.  
  
Silently Rei opened the sixth door and slipped out into the darkened corridor. The whole palace was silent at this hour, only the guards remained alert but they rarely bothered the young Martian princess as she moved past them- it was only a short walk to the sacred fire shrine. A now familiar warm breath of air brushed against her as she pushed open the heavy door and disappeared into the soft glow of the room. She smiled as she thought of the first time she had entered this place-her grandmother's special place on the Moon; it had been the day she had become a senshi, the day that promised her happiness. Both Ami and Makoto had found their special rooms also; the room of Mercury was home to the most extensive collection of literature in the solar system and probably the galaxy, in general the girls thought it was just an over glorified library but Ami remained adamant that it was much more than that-one day, although Rei appreciated the wonderful books stored there, she hoped that Ami would let them all in on the secret...   
Jupiter's room - a magnificent green house stocked with the most rare and beautiful plants of the solar system was much more awe inspiring. Princess Serenity (whom they had taken to calling Sere) was especially taken by a flower from earth by the name of 'rose.' Surprisingly they had yet to find the room of Venus.  
  
Rei settled herself in front of the gently swaying flames, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth - the room of Mars was definitely the most beautiful. Glancing to the story of the 'Great War' which was engraved upon the walls she read the first few lines, committing them once again to memory, it allowed her to focus her thoughts - Rei wanted to be able to recite the legend by heart, as it was, in a way the whole reason for her being. Finishing the first paragraph she concentrated once again upon the flames and the meditation she was about to begin. Usually she used meditation to suppress her fears or calm her temper (which she had clearly inherited from both of her parents) she had even discovered that the composure and peace of mind earned from devout meditation sharpened her developing psychic and senshi abilities. Tonight however, there was a more specific reason for her fire reading; for many nights now her dreams had been filled not only with the nightmares of her the past or visions of future events but also by the image of and aura very much like her own. It had been so much like her own in fact that it had taken her this long to realise that it was someone or something else who was reaching out to her in her dreams and now that she was certain, Rei was determined to discover all that she could about the flame which called to her through the darkness, the soul which had felt the pain as she had.  
  
Curious eyes peered through the door way, three varying shades of blue and one green, each gazing intently upon the raven-haired priestess who sat perfectly still uttering a quiet mantra to the eternal flames.  
"The fifth night this week, do you think she will she be okay?"  
"I hope so...but she never tells us what she's feeling."  
"Rei's stronger than she looks...besides..."  
"We're here for her if there is a time she needs us."  
  
"..."  
  
"But...we're still going to spy on her just incase?"  
"Of course!"  
  
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"Ahh! Look out!"  
  
Three senshi lay sprawled across the ground as the remains of a golden chain faded from existence. Slowly Sailor Mercury got to her feet, looking only slightly dazed,  
"Venus chan I think you're supposed to keep a hold of the chain until it wraps around its target," she offered gently glancing quickly to the blonde who was hopping from foot to foot in worry and aggravation,  
"I know I know, I'm so sorry minna chan! It just...slipped." Venus added sheepishly as Mercury helped Mars and Jupiter to their feet, the latter looking exceptionally disorientated after taking the brunt of the attack while the former just looked mad,  
"Minako-that was the fourth time this morning!!" the senshi of fire uttered in a low growl, "We can't help you if we're unconscious!"  
"It was only the second time it went the wrong way over her head and hit us though..."Jupiter said shaking her head to clear the fogginess clouding her vision. Venus' chin quivered as tears welled up in her eyes,  
"Its not my fault I'm such a crappie leader!" the senshi of love yelled, "Maybe someone else should do it, they can take Artemis' stupid leader strategy lessons and miss training with Luna and see how good they are!"  
With that she spun around; calling once again for 'love me chain' she threw the golden attack towards the dummy target before stamping off towards the gardens.  
  
Three pairs of eyes blinked in astonishment,  
"She hit it!"  
The girls set off immediately after the blonde senshi,   
"Venus chan!" Mars cried happily, wrapping her arms around the stunned blonde senshi, who was soon smothered as Mercury and Jupiter followed suit,  
"You did it Venus chan! You hit the target!!"  
Venus' blue eyes blinked in surprise,  
"I did? I did!! Of course I did...I knew I could do it all along!"  
  
Laughter rang out through the garden as Princess Serenity made her way towards the group, her long silver hair tied up in the traditional moon style buns, the young princess was now almost the same height as Ami, her smile shone as she joined in the group hug,  
"Well done Minako-chan!" the young princess didn't know what it was that Minako had done...but figured that she deserved the praise anyway.  
"Hello Sere, how did you first lesson with the queen go?" Mercury asked softly. Sere's eyes dimmed somewhat and she sighed,  
"It was nice spending time with momma but I messed up all of Artemis' important paper things when I tripped on the step of the throne..."  
"Don't worry princess" Jupiter grinned, "you've got plenty of time to practice before you become queen."  
"Besides odango...if you can't handle it, one of us could always take over for you-"   
Mars quipped, achieving the required reaction from the Moon princess, whose fists curled into balls as she glared back at the Martian senshi,  
"Na a Rei chan! I can too do it! I might be a bit slow and clumsy but I'm gonna be just like my momma! And I'll prove it...I came to find you on a special errand." Sere's smile beamed proudly,  
"You have a guest Rei chan...Luna said he was in the Grand hall and see I remembered all this time, I told Luna I'd tell you when I came to find you all and see I did!"  
Mars suddenly looked very worried,  
"Sere how long ago did Luna ask you to tell me?"  
"Well...after I finished with momma I went to the pool room, then to the Jupiter room to look at the roses, then I checked the kitchen for cake and then I came here!"  
"Nani!" Mars cried as she pushed past the confused moon princess, running through the gardens back into the palace.  
  
"How does she run in those heels?" Venus asked, shaking her head in amazement.  
  
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Rei skidded to a halt as she reached the entrance to the main hall, taking a moment to de-transform and get her breath back before quietly slipping into the room.  
"Rei-sama!"  
Rei's violet eyes opened wide in surprise,  
"Yuuichirou san! What are you doing here?"  
The young lord grinned, his blue eyes shining as he hurried towards her,  
"I was beginning to think you didn't want to see me...I've been waiting for hours. I tried to get away from Harmonia to see you before now but everything has been so hectic with my parents taking over most of the Martian royal affairs."  
He suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, Rei blinked too stunned by the sudden show of affection to do much, they had never shown formalities before, but he'd never hugged her before either-Slowly Yuuichirou pulled away, his expression now serious as his eyes bore into her own,  
"How are you Rei sama?"  
For a moment, just a nanosecond in time, Rei felt her defences weaken as she lost herself to the blue penetrating stare, pulling herself from the daze so quickly that it was barely noticeable that it had happened at all the raven-haired princess whacked the young lord playfully on the arm,  
"I'm fine baka...and since when did I say you could hug me!" She glared at him, but the smile of her eyes told him she meant no harm. Yuuichirou's smile returned somewhat, although his serious tone remained,  
"It is the job of a knight to serve his queen in whatever way he possibly can-this soon to be knight thought that his soon to be queen needed a hug...she has been through a great deal of upset recently."  
  
"Maybe...he'll punish someone else for your crime hum...?"  
  
Rei's eyes dimmed, and she moved silently towards the dining table set out in the centre of the hall,  
"I'm fine Yuuichirou...if that is all- then I need to get dressed for dinner so-"  
Yuuichirou, for all he was only 10 years old knew that his princess was lying, he had know her since she was born and had made it a point to know everything about her so that he could love and protect her to the best of his ability,   
"No Rei sama, although I was glad at the opportunity to see you again, my real reason for this visit was to give you something...something that I guess now belongs to you..."  
The young lord moved slowly towards Rei- she looked up at him, face expressionless as he took her hand in his.   
  
For one beat her heart stopped moving, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes stared down at the ruby necklace, which now rested in the palm of her hand; her mother's necklace, the same necklace which had belong to her grandmother and her mother before that. The gem glinted in the reflecting light from the sun, which poured in through the open windows,  
"I found it that night...it took a while to clean up but I thought you would want it..."   
Rei replied with silence, as if mesmerized or frozen by the jewel. Yuuichirou inwardly sighed, he was prepared to comfort his princess to reassure her that it would all be okay, but he had seen no sorrow or grief within her eyes - he did not know however, what to do to ease what was visible there,  
"I...I have to get going Rei sama," he stuttered, edging away, "Its so busy back home, my parents will be worried, I've been gone so long."   
  
Yuuichirou had almost reached the door when she spoke.  
  
"Will you come again Yuui-kun? Will you come and tell me of Mars."  
Rei's gaze still had not left the necklace, her voice was strangely calm.  
"Hai, Rei chan, if you want me to, I will come. Take care."  
She nodded.  
  
He turned and was gone.  
  
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Author's Babble:  
  
Helloooooooooo!!  
  
I'm so sorry that I took forever and a day to get this chapter out! (Its extra long and) It was so difficult to write and then I just started back at school again on Monday so it's been busy busy-but! Alas, finally here it is^ . ^   
  
This chapter is kind of an interlude between (the unofficial) part one and (the unofficial) part two. In the next chapter I'll be jumping ahead quite a few years in order to get the story moving a bit faster^ . ^  
  
Oo some Japanese words and their meanings-  
  
Baka: idiot  
Minna: everyone  
Hai: yes  
  
I think they are the only two most peeps might not have heard of^ . ^  
  
Anywho--   
  
Thank you so so so much to all those who have reviewed so far! (Especially those who have read all the way up to this chapter!) It means a lot to know that I'm not just writing this for no reason at all!  
I hope you're still enjoying the story and will be keeping an eye out for part two when I get around to starting it ^ . ^;   
(If you don't I'm gonna have to hunt you down mind! He he)  
  
Well- thanks again! And I'll see ya next time!!  
  
H.n.H 


	11. Remember

The Embers of a Flame - Chapter 10  
By Himitsu no Hi  
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- Present Day Tokyo -  
  
Rei did nothing to hide the lone tear which slid gently down her cheek. Pulling back slightly from the telescope she closed her eyes allowing the memories to sink back into their hidden recess at the furthest corners of her mind. She could sense Yuuichirou standing close behind her, he was always there, her knight, her brave Martian Knight…his soft voice called her from her thoughts,  
"You remember Rei chan? Do you remember me? I didn't understand it at first - such strange dreams every night and then when I found you here in Tokyo and I saw you transform it all made sense again - The Moon, Mars and -"  
"Harmonia…" The name escaped from her lips in a breath of air, the single moon of Mars, the constant light in her early darkness,  
"It no longer exists, only a distant memory." Rei turned slowly, her violet eyes glazed with sadness as her fingers grasped at the ruby pendant which hung delicately at her throat,  
"I want to see it again Yuuichirou, all of it, just one last time…"  
  
He nodded slowly and sat beside her as she once again peered into the telescope. After a few seconds Mars appeared before her encircled protectively by its Moons, Phobos and Deimos…tombs now of a time long past. As she gazed at the dim red orb and its guardians, the memories resurfaced and she remembered them, all of them, one last time…  
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Author's Babble:  
  
Hello there, remember me? ^.^;  
I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating with this story but unfortunately school and a bad case of writers block managed to get in the way…and they still are getting in the way…  
So! Although this is only a very short exert it serves two purposes, you can either take it as a brief introduction into part 2 of the story (which may be written eventually) or you can take it as an epilogue and consider the story finished.  
I will try my best to get part two started in the summer but since there hasn't been a great demand for it...well ^ . ^; my motivation is lacking.  
  
Thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far - and if I find my muse I look forward to seeing you again in the summer!  
Ja ne^-^  
  
H.n.H 


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